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Mastercut Tool Corp. on Harbor Lake Dr. in Safety Harbor has created the first tool in history to successfully cut into the permafrost surface of another planet and acquire a sample for analysis.

The ROTOZIP Duracut Zip Bit, paired with a high-speed rasp, has enabled NASA’s Phoenix Lander to collect valuable soil samples from the surface of Mars, according to an article in Mars Daily.

“The rasp, or rapid active sampling package, is one of three methods being used to collect Martian soil samples. The rasp spins the ROTOZIP bit at high speeds enabling it to quickly and efficiently loosen bits of hard Martian soil and collect the shavings within a chamber in the heel of the Phoenix’s scoop,” said Mars Daily, an internet publication aimed at engineers, scientists, researchers and administrators.

MastercutTool Corp. began in Safety Harbor in 1985 as a one-man tool-grinding operation, founded by Micheal Shaluly. It has grown literally from a 600-sq.-ft. garage to a 37,000-sq.-ft. industrial building where the company employs more than 50 people and operates on a 24/7 schedule.

It is now a leading U.S. manufacturer of carbide tools using computer-controlled grinding machines. Its products fill a 100-page catalog.

The Duracut bit was designed to cut through hard materials such as cement board, stucco and plaster, but has been successful in breaking through the Martian permafrost. It was a last-minute addition to the Phoenix mission when engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory determined that icy soil might prove difficult to cut.

“We are overjoyed that our Duracut bit helped to simplify the soil extraction process,” Terry Horan, ROTOZIP president said to Mars Daily. “We knew our ROTOZIP bits were able to perform under harsh conditions but never imagined that something right off hardware shelves would also penetrate the surface of Mars.”

The Phoenix Mars Lander launched in August of 2007 and arrived in the north polar region of Mars in late May of 2008. The solar-powered Lander is expected to remain active on the surface of Mars through late fall, when operations are expected to shut down due to the dark Martian winter and the harsh atmospheric conditions that will bury the Lander in ice.