That’s No Moon Investigation of Lunar Simulant Materials with Dynamic Imaging Analysis
Lunar simulants and candidate component materials were characterized for size and shape with the Litesizer DIA 500 dynamic image analyzer. Volcanic ash, pseudo-agglutinates, and an existing lunar simulant were reproducibly differentiated on the basis of three shape parameters.
As part of the Apollo Space Program, NASA astronauts collected and returned 382 kg of lunar rocks and dust to Earth. About 30% of the total mass comprises particles smaller than 1 cm.
In order to design spacecraft landing pads or permanent structures intended to stand and function on the lunar surface, researchers and engineers need to conduct tests with lunar regolith. Of course, the lunar regolith brought to Earth is limited and precious. Lunar simulants blended from materials on Earth have been developed to mimic the properties of lunar regolith and provide the sample volumes necessary for broad testing.
Particle size and shape will influence the flow and packing behavior of lunar regolith versus simulants, so these properties should be characterized for individual components and final blends to determine how well the simulant particles match their lunar counterparts.
Components of the lunar regolith include fragments of igneous rocks, volcanic ash, agglutinates, impact derivatives, and meteorites. The term “lunar soil” generally refers to the fine fraction of lunar regolith that is less than 1 mm in size (1). Predominantly glassy, agglutinates are heterogeneous in composition and often have highly irregular structure that provides unusually high cohesion not found in Earth soil, so for many simulant applications it is important to replicate particle shape distribution as well as size distributions (2).
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