Securing the Payload
Once the metallic dust is stuck to the rake's drums, it must be safely transported into the spacecraft's internal cargo holds for processing.
The Scraper Blade
The collector works somewhat like a futuristic street sweeper. As the magnetic drums rotate inward toward the ship's chassis, the electromagnetic field is intentionally deactivated over a specific drop zone.
Without the magnetic hold, a physical scraper blade gently brushes the pure iron and nickel powder off the drum, allowing it to fall directly into the zero-g containment hoppers. From here, this refined metal powder can be instantly used as raw material for In-Space 3D Printers to manufacture spare parts, hull plating, and infrastructure!