Planetary Simulant Database
Free Resource for Regolith Simulant Information
Mineralogy
| Component | Vol.% |
|---|---|
| Glass | 75 |
| Plagioclase | 15 |
| Olivine, pyroxene and ilmenite | 10 |
Bulk Chemistry
| Oxide | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| SiO2 | 49.99 |
| TiO2 | 1.22 |
| Al2O3 | 14.09 |
| FeO | 11.53 |
| MnO | 0.11 |
| MgO | 8.16 |
| CaO | 7.17 |
| Na2O | 2.78 |
| K2O | 1.23 |
| Total | 96.28 |
Physical Properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Mean grain size | ~500 nm |
| Particle complexity factor | 1.38 |
CLDS-i Lunar Dust Simulant
Simulant Name: CLDS-i Lunar Dust Simulant
Availability: May Be Available
Fidelity: Specialty
Developed By: Institute of Geochemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences
Available From: N/A
Publications: Tang, H. et al. (2017), A lunar dust simulant: CLDS-i. Advances in Space Research 59, 1156-1160.
CLDS-i was recently developed as a lunar dust simulant. It is derived from CAS-1, which Tang et al. (2017) claim is synonymous with CLRS-1. The simulant is made by magnetically separating the glass and plagioclase in CAS-1 from the more magnetic mafic minerals. The glass and plagioclase fraction is ground under alcohol in a planetary ball mill, then further broken with an ultrasonic crusher. An amorphous silicate layer with embedded nanophase iron (np-Fe) is used as a coating for the simulant.
Tang et al. (2017) claim that the particle sizes and shapes (sharp edges, high complexity) compare favorably to Apollo dust samples. The authors mention applications for space suit testing, human toxicology studies, and rover traction, but it is not clear how much CLSD-i has been produced or its availability. The methods described are likely to make scaling difficult.
Images
Photograph of CLDS-i from Tang et al. (2017):
