Lunar exploration requires scientific and engineering studies using standardized testing procedures that ultimately support flight certification of technologies and hardware. This motivates the development of traceable, standardized lunar regolith simulant (SLRS) materials. For details, refer to the 2005 Workshop on Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials

Carpenter, P.

Meeker, G.

Sibille, L.

Wilson, S.

NASA Technical Reports Server

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NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 
CHARACTERIZATION OF STANDARDIZED LUNAR REGOLITH SIMULANT MATERIALS. P. Car- 
penter', L. Sibille', G. Meeker2, and s. Wilson', 'BAE Systems, Marshdl Space Flight Center, AL 35812, 
paul.k.carpenter@nasa.gov, 'United States Geological Survey, MS964, Lakewood CO 80025. 
Introduction: Lunar exploration requires scientific 
and engineering studies using standardized testing pro- 
cedures that ultimately support flight certification of 
technologies and hardware. This motivates the devel- 
opment of traceable, standardized lunar regolith simu- 
lant (SLRS) materials. For details, refer to the 2005 
Workshop on Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials [l]. 
Lunar Regolith Sirnulants: A lunar regolith simu- 
lant is manufactured from terrestrial components for 
the purpose of simulating the physical and chemical 
properties of the lunar regolith. The 2005 Workshop 
recommended production of two root simulants corre- 
sponding to a low-Ti mare basalt and a high-Ca high- 
land anorthosite. These roots represent compositional 
end-members of mare and highland materials, and can 
in principle be physically mixed to target the range of 
soil compositions in the Apollo inventory. Lunar mare 
basalt simulant JSC-1A approximates Apollo 14 ba- 
salts with relatively low-Ti content, and was obtaiggd 
by milling and sieving a glassy volcanic ash from Mer- 
riam Crater in Arizona (Fig. 1). Simulant JSC-1A has a 
grain size distribution similar to typical Apollo regolith 
samples, and a fine fraction JSC-1AF has been further 
milled to achieve a - 25 pm median grain size (Fig. 2), 
for studies on human toxicology and mechanical abra- 
sion. These simulants are being produced under the 
direction of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and 
characterized in collaboration with the United States 
Geological Survey (USGS). 
Specific lunar regolith properties can be addressed 
by addition of ilmenite, glassy agglutinates, nanophase 
iron, and other materials [3]. The fidelity of root simu- 
lants is thus increased by use of additives to form de- 
rivative simulants. 
SLRS Materials Characterization: Fidelity and 
homogeneity of SLRS materials are important, on the 
scale of material supplied to the end user, and on the 
scale of a production run. Homogeneity is ensured for 
geochemical standards by fine grinding to reduce the 
grain size and chemical variability. Conversely, lunar 
simulants have a grain size variation and modal miner- 
alogy at each size fraction that must be retained in or- 
der to match the target lunar regolith. Characterization 
of simulant is being conducted using bulk and micro 
analytical methods. Microprobe analysis of SLRS ma- 
terials is being performed on polished mounts and par- 
ticle mounts in order to compare conventional analyses 
with quantitative particle analysis correction methods. 
The SLRS and lunar soils typically exhibit lithic, min- 
eral, and glassy components that persist to the finest 
grain sizes. These particles thus represent both homo- 
geneous and complex particles and present challenges 
for both analysis and correction. Quantitative particle 
correction is currently being integrated with image I 
feature analysis methods typically available on turn-key 
systems. 
Fig ,. 1. BSE image of lunar simulant JSC-1 (polishr :d 
mc 
Fig. 2. BSE image of lunar simulant JSC-1AF fine frac- 
tion (polished mount). Grain size distribution of JSC-1AF 
has median size of - 25 pm from sieve analysis. 
References: [1] Sibille L. et al., (2005) Lunar Re- 
golith Simulant Materials: Recommendations for Stan- 
dardization, Production, and Usage. NASA TP (In 
preparation, httu://est.msfc.nasa.eov/workshous~rsm2005.html). 
[2] Carter J., et al. (2004) Space Resources Roundtable 
VI, 15. [3] Taylor L. et al. (2004) Space Resources 
Roundtable VI, 46. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20060019180 2019-08-29T21:48:52+00:00Z


Characterization of Standardized Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials

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