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A team of scientists from the University of Central Florida makes fake dirt on Mars and sells it to agencies like NASA.
The simulated dirt of Mars is called the regolith, and the UCF astrophysicists team uses a recipe of various minerals to match the reality. Scientists will use the regolith to test the equipment needed for future Mars explorations and to determine how to grow food on Mars.
UCF physicist and geologist Daniel Britt said the team used Mars Curiosity rover data to create the regolith. "What we do is we take what we know about the mineralogy of other worlds – it's not just Mars, we make the moon and the asteroids. on these other worlds. "
He says that by having a well-defined recipe and a consistent product, scientists can achieve better results. "The goal is to obtain as realistic and realistic a simulation of the surface appearance of an extraterrestrial body as possible for scientific and technical purposes.
UCF students work with the team to crush and mix the regolith. "For someone who has always loved space science, it's the pinnacle of freshness," said Cody Shultz, an experienced mechanical engineer working on the regolith. "The experience is fantastic in the real world, an out of the ordinary experience."
The product sells for about $ 20 per kilogram plus shipping costs. UCF said there were about 30 pending orders for the simulated regolith.
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