Developing an Anorthositic Lunar Regolith Simulant

Standard Lunar Regolith Simulants for Space Resource Utilization Technologies Development: Effects of Materials Choices

Introduction: As NASA turns its exploration ambitions towards the Moon once again, the research and development of new technologies for lunar operations face the challenge of meeting the milestones of a fast-pace schedule, reminiscent of the 1960's Apollo program. While the lunar samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions have revealed much about the Moon, these priceless materials exist ...

Development of Standardized Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials

MAC88105-A regolith breccia from the lunar highlands: Miner~o~c~ petrological, and geochemical studies*

The new large Iunar meteorite MAC88105 is a dense breccia, with lithic and mineral clasts and fragments set into a welded matrix. It is a regolith breccia which shows some recrystallization and evidence for a late shock event during which anorthositic glass veins were formed. Shock effects (most probably due to the impact ejection from the moon) are present throughout the sample and require a s...

Grain-scale mechanical properties of lunar plagioclase and its simulant: Initial experimental findings and modeling implications

Preparations for lunar missions involve the extensive use of simulants of lunar surface materials. Since many planned operations engage the mechanical properties of the regolith, it is of utmost importance to assure that the simulants adequately represent the engineering properties of actual lunar materials. To address this critical issue, we are conducting an experimental and modeling effort t...

The Lunar Regolith Simulant

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