The University develops a simulated Martian soil and sells it at $ 20 per kilogram

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We have been sending probes and rovers on Mars for years, but we have not yet recovered a sample of the red planet on Earth. The best we can do is to characterize the planet and transmit the results. If we want to plan a long-term human presence on Mars, it is essential to understand the Martian soil. A project of the Planetary Science Group at the University of Central Florida aims to create the best replica of Martian Earth to date. The material is sold for $ 20 per kilogram.

In recent decades, various artificial ground recipes on Mars have been known as "simulants". The best-known simulator on Mars is JSC Mars-1, created by NASA's Johnson Space Center. It has never been produced on an industrial scale and several companies have therefore created their own version of JSV Mars-1. There is also the Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS), but this material is not available outside of NASA. A company called The Martian Garden claims to have two simulants for sale that use the same source recipe as the MMS, but they used a red ash base instead of the original Saltleback Basalt.

The goal of the University of Central Florida's project is to create an open standard for the simulant Mars, which she calls Mars Global Simulant (or MGS-1). We know more about the surface of Mars than in the past, so it's a chance for scientists to incorporate all the appropriate chemical properties into a simulant.

The old simulants were a good idea, but they lack crucial elements of reality. There is good evidence today that most of the Mars dust comes from the erosion of a large basalt formation called Medusae Fossae. In addition, we know that Martian dust is a mixture of a mixture of crystalline and amorphous phases when examined by X-ray. JSC Mars-1 is the most amorphous X-ray and the MMS is almost entirely crystalline. We also know that the Martian regolith has a significant sulfur content, which is missing in the existing basic formulas.

The team from the University of Central Florida began with Mars's basic mineralogy using the Curiosity robot's analysis of samples taken from a place called Rocknest. The crystalline fraction of MGS-1 consists of minerals such as olivine, magnetite and anhydrite. Rocknest probably also contains amorphous materials such as basaltic glass, hydrated silica and ferrihydrite. So, these are also in MGS-1.

Other teams can use the basic standards MGS-1 to create their own simulant from powdered ingredients. Minor modifications can recreate different regional variations of the soil. However, the team recognizes that it is easier for researchers to simply buy the simulant. That's why the university sells the MGS-1 to other institutions at $ 20 per kilogram (you can not buy it for now). He already has about 30 orders, including one from the Kennedy Space Center for half a ton.

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