1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
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Developed By: University of Central Florida
Available From: CLASS Exolith Lab
The LMS-1 Lunar Mare Simulant has been developed by the CLASS Exolith Lab. It is a high-fidelity, mineral-based simulant appropriate for a generic or average mare location on the Moon. The simulant is not made of a single terrestrial lithology, but accurately captures the texture of lunar regolith by combining both mineral and rock fragments (i.e., polymineralic grains) in accurate proportions.
The particle size distribution of the simulant is targeted to match that of typical Apollo soils. LMS-1 does not currently simulate agglutinates or nanophase iron.
Mineralogy
| Component | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| Pyroxene | 32.8 |
| Glass-rich basalt | 32.0 |
| Anorthosite |
19.8 |
| Olivine |
11.1 |
| Ilmenite |
4.3 |
Bulk Chemistry
This table shows the relative abundances of each element detected by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The relative abundances of elements detected by XRF in geological samples are quantified as oxides. In the simulant, these elements are contained in the minerals described in the Mineralogy table above, and not necessarily in oxide form. These data are from the Hamilton Analytical Lab.
| Oxide | Wt% |
| SiO2 | 46.9 |
| TiO2 | 3.6 |
| Al2O3 | 12.4 |
| FeO | 8.6 |
| MnO | 0.2 |
| MgO | 16.8 |
| CaO | 7.0 |
|
Na2O |
1.7 |
| K2O | 0.7 |
| P2O5 | 0.2 |
| LOI* | 0.9 |
| Total** | 99.0 |
*Loss on ignition
**Excluding volatiles and trace elements; see spec sheet.
Physical Properties
Mean Particle Size: 50 µmMedian Particle Size: 45 µm
Particle Size Range: <0.04 µm – 300 µm
Uncompressed Bulk Density: 1.56 g/cm3
Note that bulk density is not an inherent property and depends on the level of compaction.
Photo Credit: Matthew Villegas, Exolith Lab