Planetary Simulant Database
Free Resource for Regolith Simulant Information
Mineralogy
| Mineral | Basalt (control) | Acid | Alkaline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anhydrite | 8.0 | ||
| Basalt | 100.0 | 53.5 | 96.0 |
| Calcite | 2.0 | ||
| Brushite | |||
| Ferricopiapite | 27.0 | ||
| Ferrihydrite | |||
| Gypsum | |||
| Halite | |||
| Hematite | 2.5 | ||
| Kieserite | |||
| Jarosite | 1.0 | ||
| Bischofite | |||
| Ti-Magnetite | |||
| Magnesite | |||
| Olivine | |||
| Pyroxene | |||
| Na-carbonate | 2.0 | ||
| Na-perchlorate | |||
| Na-sulfate | 8.0 |
| Mineral | Aeolian | Phoenix | Salt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anhydrite | 13.2 | 2.0 | |
| Basalt | 63.5 | 80.17 | |
| Calcite | 4.0 | ||
| Brushite | 0.87 | ||
| Ferricopiapite | 5.9 | ||
| Ferrihydrite | 12.0 | 3.75 | |
| Gypsum | 5.4 | ||
| Halite | 1.4 | ||
| Hematite | 3.2 | 0.5 | |
| Kieserite | 2.0 | 5.1 | |
| Jarosite | |||
| Bischofite | 2.6 | ||
| Ti-Magnetite | 6.3 | 2.25 | |
| Magnesite | 2.0 | ||
| Olivine | 30.3 | 9.75 | |
| Pyroxene | 33.4 | 8.75 | |
| Na-carbonate | |||
| Na-perchlorate | 1.5 | ||
| Na-sulfate |
Bulk Chemistry
No data available
Physical Properties
No data available
Acid-Alkaline-Salt Basalt Analog Soils
Simulant Name: UF Acid-Alkaline-Salt Basalt Analog Soils
Availability: May Be Available
Fidelity: Specialty
Developed By: University of Florida, Johnson Space Center
Available From: N/A
Publications: Schuerger, A. C. et al. (2012), Biotoxicity of Mars soils: 1. Dry deposition of analog soils on microbial colonies and survival under Martian conditions. Planetary and Space Science 72, 91-101.
Schuerger et al. (2012) describe 6 variants of a Mars simulant created to test the survival of microbial colonies under simulated martian conditions. Most of the simulants used basalt from Duluth, MN as a base, to which various salts, carbonates, and other minerals were added. The six variants created include the basalt as a control, as well as acid, alkaline, aeolian, Phoenix landing site, and salt variants.
These simulants seem to have been used only for this study, and were likely only created in small batches without the intent to manufacture or distribute them.