This two-volume set includes the latest principles behind the processes of drilling and excavation on Earth and other planets. It covers the categories of drills, the history of drilling and excavation, various drilling techniques and associated issues, rock coring (acquisition, damage control, caching and transport, restoration of ‘in-situ’ conditions and data interpretation), as well as unconsolidated soil drilling and borehole stability. It describes the drilling process from basic science and associated process of breaking and penetrating various media and the required hardware and the process of excavation and analysis of the sampled media.