WNMS: A New Basaltic Simulant of Mars Regolith

Abstract

The use of planetary regolith can be explored via the utilization of simulants. The existing Martian simulants have differences due to varying source materials and design parameters. Additional simulants are needed because the few available simulants do not replicate the compositional diversity of Martian regolith. This study discusses the development of a low-cost construction simulant of Mars. The area of Winder Nai in Pakistan was selected for field sampling of basalt because of local availability and easy access. The dust was produced from rock samples through mechanical crushing and grinding. The physical properties, composition, mineralogy, and surface morphology were evaluated via geotechnical tests, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. The designed simulant has a well-graded particle size distribution with a particle density and bulk density of 2.58 g/cm3 and 1.16 g/cm3, respectively. The elemental composition of Winder Nai Mars Simulant (WNMS) is within ±5 wt% of the Rocknest and the average Martian regolith composition except for SO3. For SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3, WNMS has a good match with the Martian regolith. The content of CaO and TiO2 in WNMS is higher than, and content of MgO is lower than, the average Martian values. The rock can be classified as basalt based on the Total Alkali Silica (TAS) diagram. XRD spectrum indicates the occurrence of plagioclase and pyroxene as the main signature minerals of basalt. The particle morphology of WNMS is angular to subangular, and the simulant indicates the presence of 3.8 wt% highly paramagnetic particles. The volatile loss is 0.25 wt% at 100 °C, 1.73 wt% at 500 °C, and 3.05 wt% at 950 °C. The composition of WNMS, basaltic mineralogy, morphology, magnetic properties, and volatile content are comparable with MMS-2 and a few other simulants.