LUNAR REGOLITH SIMULANT MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Constellation program has the objectives of advancing U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests through a robust space exploration program. Included in this are implementing a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system and beyond, and extending human presence across the solar system. Included in these objectives are a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations.

To begin to accomplish these objectives, NASA needs materials that correctly simulate the properties of the lunar regolith, because the lunar regolith will be used in a variety of areas including construction, life support, propulsion and power. Unfortunately, few areas on Earth have mineral compositions even remotely close to those found on the Moon.

One area that does have some mineralogical similarities to the lunar regolith is the Stillwater complex in Montana. The plagioclase at Stillwater is high in calcium similar to the Moon. The other main components, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, are also in the lunar regolith although the ratio of these pyroxenes is different in the regolith when compared to Stillwater.

The work presented is the result of a NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Faculty Fellowship grant to have senior design groups work on problems in conjunction with NASA technical experts to help solve problems important to NASA’s goals. In this work, the objective is to separate the plagioclase, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene into relatively high-grade concentrates that can then be mixed-and-matched to produce lunar regolith simulants that can approximate nearly any area on the lunar surface. The main initial step in this process is the characterization of the minerals to understand their composition, liberation and ability to be separated.