Lunar Mare Simulant
(LRS-M)
Lunar’s Maria are large plains on the lunar surfaces. They are mostly composed by basaltic material erupted from volcanic activity. Maria are found around the equatorial areas, while basaltic plains are not common on the polar basins. On the other hand, Maria are rich in Fe and Ti, making them an interesting location for in-situ resources applications.
Simulant specifications
Simulant name | LRS Lunar Mare Simulant |
Simulant type | Basic/Standard |
Reference material | Apollo average maria samples |
Mean particle size | 75 µm |
Particle size range | <10 – 1400 µm |
Major elements chemestry
Oxide | Ref. MIN [wt%] | Ref. MAX [wt%] | LRS-M [wt%] |
SiO2 | 37.60 | 48.80 | 46.96 |
Al2O3 | 8.48 | 13.90 | 15.65 |
FeO | 17.80 | 22.50 | 9.92 |
MnO | 0.22 | 0.29 | 0.15 |
MgO | 5.95 | 11.60 | 5.98 |
CaO | 9.42 | 12.00 | 9.85 |
Na2O | 0.23 | 0.66 | 3.43 |
K2O | 0.03 | 0.29 | 1.50 |
TiO2 | 1.46 | 12.10 | 1.94 |
P2O5 | 0.03 | 0.18 | 0.52 |
Mineralogy
Mineral | Abundance [wt%] |
Anorthosite | 10 |
Glass-rich Basalt | 90 |
Minerals Breakdown: | |
Anorthite albite | 36.42 |
Pyroxene | 18.45 |
Olivine | 4.32 |
Alkali feldspar | 12.24 |
Other silicates | 9.09 |
Others | 19.48 |
Particle size distribution
Trace elements
Element | Abundance [wt%] |
Cr | 0.0723 |
Mn | 0.0943 |
Co | 0.0061 |
Ni | 0.0238 |
Zn | 0.0055 |
As | 0.0003 |
Rb | 0.0027 |
Sr | 0.0574 |
Zr | 0.0170 |
Nb | 0.0059 |
Mo | 0.0012 |
Ba | 0.0315 |
W | 0.0002 |
Hg | 0.0002 |
Ta | 0.0029 |
Tl | 0.0001 |