Swales Only Team to Meet 10 Meter Goal During Field Test

Swales Aerospace has announced
it has successfully demonstrated a low-energy dry drilling instrument which
drilled 10-meters into solid rock during a December 2002 field test funded by
NASA. According to Tom Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, the breakthrough
results are immensely significant as NASA looks toward future missions to Mars
to better understand past water activities, locate areas with water and search
for past and present signs of life on the Red Planet.

“We now have actual test data that provides the necessary technical
insight into the design of multiple planetary drilling platforms,” said Jose
Guerrero, Swales principal investigator during the field test. “The results
of the field test will now allow us to further refine our research drill as we
seek to develop a prototype flight drill system for future space exploration.”

Two industry teams participated in the NASA field tests in December at the
privately owned Desert Rose Silica Mine located about 120 miles from Phoenix.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. managed the test and Mars
scientists at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University and
members of an independent review board of terrestrial drilling experts
provided objective witnessing and advice.

During the December field test, the Swales team was the only team that
successfully achieved the NASA drilling goal of 10 meters in depth,
approximately 32.8 feet, into abrasive red silica sandstone rock.

“We were successful because our planetary drill system combines a novel
sample retrieval method, automation, and mechanical advantage while generating
negligible heat which prolongs drill bit life,” Guerrero said. “Due to the
effectiveness of our dry drilling method, our drill bit never needed
replacement or repairs during the entire 10-meter test.”

A key factor in the success of the Swales system is the minimal amount of
energy required to power the drill. Industry sources agree that most drilling
systems are inherently energy inefficient because of their design and
operational approach.

“Not so with the Swales drill instrument”, Guerrero points out. “We
accomplished all of the required test objectives during the field test
expending only 78 to 120 Watts of power.”

“Our innovative drilling approach proves that drilling does not have to be
power intensive,” Guerreo stressed. “By only using commercial-off-the-shelf
motors, gearboxes, actuators and electronics, we drilled using, on average, 90
Watts of power, depending on the drill rate and cutting speed.

Over the past three decades, spacecrafts have discovered the possible
presence of liquid water on Mars, either in its ancient past or preserved in
the subsurface today. Drilling and finding water on the planet is key to
scientists determining whether any microscopic life forms could have existed.
In addition, water is key to any future plan to possibly launch a human
mission to the planet, since water is essential for life and can be separated
into oxygen and hydrogen and later combined to release energy that could power
fuel cells batteries essential to a human station on the planet.

Swales first started work on planetary drill concepts in late 1998 at its
laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Laboratory successes included drilling twelve
inches into solid rock in 1999 and reaching depths of seven and twelve feet in
2001 before meeting the current NASA goal of 10-meters in 2002.

Swales Engineering Services West Coast operation facility is located in
Pasadena with regional offices in El Segundo, CA. The company’s West Coast
operations occupy over 36,000 sq.ft. in five buildings and supports an
engineering services contract at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other major
aerospace Swales clients.

James Dohm, planetary geologist from the University of Arizona, was one of
the experts who observed the December tests. He has been mapping the geology
of Mars for nearly two decades and labeled the Swales drill design a
‘sciencecraft,’ citing how effortlessly the drill went through the rock at 80
Watts of power or less during his visit.

“The knowledge and experience of the Swales drill team was obvious and
gives me optimism that drilling on Mars within a decade or so is within our
grasp,” stated Dohm.

An employee-owned business, Swales Aerospace provides state-of-the-art
engineering solutions and spacecraft, as well as a broad range of structural
and thermal management systems for the global satellite industry.

The company is headquartered in Beltsville, Md., posted annual revenues of
$150 million during 2002 and employs more than 900 aerospace professionals in
offices in Maryland, Virginia, California, Florida and Texas. Additional
information about the company is available at www@swales.com.