Lunar Highlands Dust (LHS-1D) Moon Dirt Simulant

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

The LHS-1D Lunar Highlands Dust Simulant has been developed by Exolith Lab for use in dust mitigation experiments and other applications where very fine dust is needed. The Dust Simulant helps researchers focus on the specific harm that can come to the humans that interact with regolith, as well as spacecrafts and other space hardware. 

The term regolith, is referring to the “dirt” layer covering solid rock on the moon’s surface, which is loose, heterogeneous, superficial deposits. Our regolith simulant, often referred to as just “simulant”, is synthesized from terrestrial materials to mimic the chemical, mechanical or engineering properties of the materials that one would find on the moon. This regolith layer on the Lunar Surface is harmful to human health, and detrimental to space hardware. This simulant allows for testing to prepare humans and space hardware for these hazards. 

LHS-1D is made of the same base material as LHS-1, our high-fidelity, mineral-based simulant appropriate for a generic or average highlands 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. This dust simulant contains only particles finer than 30 μm.

For information on Mineralogy, bulk chemistry, and geotechnical properties, please see below:

Spec Sheet        SDS 

*Previous spec sheets and data for past regolith simulant batches can be found at bottom of page.

Mineralogy

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.

_{*Loss on ignition}

_{**Excluding volatiles and trace elements; see spec sheet.}

Physical Properties

Mean Particle Size: 7 µm

Particle Size Range: 0-30 µm

Bulk density*: 0.7 g/cm3

Grain Density: 2.75 g/cm3

Void Ratio: 2.93

Porosity: 74.55%

Angle of Repose (10g): 47.7°

Angle of Repose (250g): 43.3°

*Note that bulk density is not an inherent property and depends on the level of compaction

We would love to hear about the success of your research. If you have any information you'd like to share with us, please send us an email at exolithlab@ucf.edu.