Exolith Simulant: LHS-1D Lunar Highlands Dust Simulant
Mineralogy
| Component | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| Anorthosite | 74.4 |
| Glass-rich basalt | 24.7 |
| Ilmenite | 0.4 |
| Pyroxene | 0.3 |
| Olivine | 0.2 |
Bulk Chemistry
Because LHS-1D is a mineralogical standard, the bulk chemistry of simulants created from the standard will differ depending on the crystal chemistry of the source minerals used. Below, we report the latest analysis for the production version of LHS-1D.
| Oxide | Wt.% |
|---|---|
| SiO2 | 44.18 |
| TiO2 | 0.79 |
| Al2O3 | 26.24 |
| Cr2O3 | 0.02 |
| FeOT | 3.04 |
| MnO | 0.05 |
| MgO | 11.22 |
| CaO | 11.62 |
| Na2O | 2.30 |
| K2O | 0.46 |
| SO3 | 0.1 |
| Total | 100.00 |
Physical Properties
Particle size range: 0-130 μm
Mean particle size (by volume): 7 μm
Bulk density*: 0.7 g/cm3
*Note that bulk density is not an inherent property and depends on the level of compaction
SEM Image of LHS-1D:
Current Status: Available
Developed By: University of Central Florida
Available From: ExolithSimulants.com
Spec Sheet: LHS-1D Spec Sheet (PDF)
Publications: N/A
The LHS-1D Lunar Highlands Dust Simulant has been developed by the CLASS Exolith Lab for use in dust mitigation experiments and other applications where very fine dust is needed. LHS-1D is made of the same base material as LHS-1, our high-fidelity, mineral-based simulant appropriate for a generic or average highlands location on the Moon. The simulant is not made of a single terrestrial lithology, but accurately captures the texture of lunar regolith by combining both mineral and rock fragments (i.e., polymineralic grains) in accurate proportions. This dust simulant contains only particles finer than 30 μm.
Images
Photograph of LHS-1:
SEM Image of LHS-1D:
