Mars global simulant MGS-1: A Rocknest-based open standard for basaltic martian regolith simulants

Cannon, K. M.; Britt, D. T.; Smith, Trent M.; Fritsche, Ralph; Batcheldor, D.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.08.019

Cited by 140 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…, MGS‐1; Cannon et al. ); a listing is maintained at http://sciences.ucf.edu/class/planetary-simulant-database/. Asteroid simulants have been developed in a more ad hoc way, and no standardized simulants currently exist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies

Britt

Cannon

Hanna

et al. 2019

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A set of high‐fidelity simulated asteroid materials, or simulants, was developed based on the mineralogy of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Three varieties of simulant were developed based on CI1 chondrites (typified by Orgueil), CM2 chondrites (typified by Murchison), and CR2/3 chondrites (multiple samples). The simulants were designed to replicate the mineralogy and physical properties of the corresponding meteorites and anticipated asteroid surface materials as closely as is reasonably possible for bulk amounts. The simulants can be made in different physical forms ranging from larger cobbles to fine‐grained regolith. We analyzed simulant prototypes using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, reflectance spectroscopy at ambient conditions and in vacuum, thermal emission spectroscopy in a simulated asteroid environment chamber, and combined thermogravimetry and evolved gas analysis. Most measured properties compare favorably to the reference meteorites and therefore to predicted volatile‐rich asteroid surface materials, including boulders, cobbles, and fine‐grained soils. However, there were also discrepancies, and mistakes were made in the original mineral formulations that will be updated in the future. The asteroid simulants are available to the community from the nonprofit Exolith Lab at UCF, and the mineral recipes are freely published for other groups to reproduce and modify as they see fit.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The goal of the rebranded Exolith Lab (https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/exolithlab/) is to produce and distribute a line of standardized simulants for asteroids, the Moon, and Mars (Cannon et al. ). In addition, we maintain a library of raw minerals to rapidly prototype customized versions for specific cases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies

Britt

Cannon

Hanna

et al. 2019

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It should be taken into account that the regolith simulants used in this study are rich in amorphous phases, while actual Martian soil consists of an approximately equal distribution of amorphous and crystalline phases [25,33]. The higher amount of amorphous phases…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our method, however, is aimed at quantifying the increase in the amount of magnetically extractable material upon bacterial treatment, rather than determining the exact amount of material we can extract. To study whether regolith simulants containing more crystalline phases are also compatible with our approach, and to potentially better determine the amount of material that can be extracted in future biomining approaches, it would be worthwhile to perform follow-up studies using the recently developed regolith simulant MGS-1 [33].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Iron can be microbially extracted from Lunar and Martian regolith simulants and 3D printed into tough structural materials

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is increasingly acknowledged as an essential requirement for the construction of sustainable extra-terrestrial colonies. Even with decreasing launch costs, the ultimate goal of establishing colonies must be the usage of resources found at the destination of interest. Typical approaches towards ISRU are often constrained by the mass and energy requirements of transporting processing machineries, such as rovers and massive reactors, and the vast amount of consumables needed. Application of self-reproducing bacteria for the extraction of resources is a promising approach to reduce these pitfalls. In this work, the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis was used to reduce three different types of Lunar and Martian regolith simulants, allowing for the magnetic extraction of iron-rich materials. The combination of bacterial treatment and magnetic extraction resulted in a 5.8-times higher quantity of iron and 43.6% higher iron concentration compared to solely magnetic extraction. The materials were 3D printed into cylinders and the mechanical properties were tested, resulting in a 400% improvement in compressive strength in the bacterially treated samples. This work demonstrates a proof of concept for the on-demand production of construction and replacement parts in space exploration.

show abstract

“…Martian soil simulant (MSS) procured from Class Exolith lab Florida [47], and lunar soil simulant (LSS) developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) [48] were used for the fabrication of the martian and lunar bricks. Particle size distributions for both soil simulants were measured by suspending 0.1g soil in 5ml ultrapure distilled water, followed by sonication to disperse the particles.…”

Section: Characterization Of Unconsolidated (Raw) Soil Simulantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial induced calcite precipitation can consolidate martian and lunar regolith simulants

Dikshit

Gupta

Dey

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We demonstrate that Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) can be utilized for creation of consolidates of Martian Simulant Soil (MSS) and Lunar Simulant Soil (LSS) in the form of a 'brick'. A urease producer bacteria, Sporosarcina pasteurii, was used to induce the MICP process for the both simulant soils. An admixture of guar gum as an organic polymer and NiCl2, as bio- catalyst to enhance urease activity, was introduced to increase the compressive strength of the biologically grown bricks. A casting method was utilized for a slurry consisting of the appropriate simulant soil and microbe; the slurry over a few days consolidated in the form of a 'brick' of the desired shape. In case of MSS, maximum strength of 3.3 MPa was obtained with 10mM NiCl2 and 1% guar gum supplementation whereas in case of LSS maximum strength of 5.65 MPa was obtained with 1% guar gum supplementation and 10mM NiCl2. MICP mediated consolidation of the simulant soil was confirmed with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our work demonstrates a biological approach with an explicit casting method towards manufacturing of consolidated structures using extra-terrestrial regolith simulant; this is a promising route for in situ development of structural elements on the extra-terrestrial habitats.

show abstract

Mars global simulant MGS-1: A Rocknest-based open standard for basaltic martian regolith simulants

Cited by 140 publications

References 62 publications

Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies

Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies

Iron can be microbially extracted from Lunar and Martian regolith simulants and 3D printed into tough structural materials

Microbial induced calcite precipitation can consolidate martian and lunar regolith simulants

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About