Highlights We developed two Phobos regolith simulants: PCA-1 and PGI-1. The compositions of these represent the two leading hypotheses for Phobos’s origin. The mineralogies of PCA-1 and PGI-1 are based on remote sensing and numerical models. We describe the methodology used to develop and characterize PCA-1 and PGI-1. We report physical and geotechnical properties of PCA-1 and PGI-1.
Abstract The Martian moon Phobos is the target of the upcoming JAXA Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. There are currently no known samples of Phobos, so spacecraft hardware testing and scientific studies require Phobos regolith simulants. Here, we present two new Phobos regolith simulants: Phobos Captured Asteroid-1 (PCA-1) and Phobos Giant Impact (PGI-1). These two simulants reflect the two hypotheses for Phobos’s formation, and thus the two broad possibilities for composition. This work follows previous efforts to document the development of mineralogically accurate simulants, in an effort to overcome past pitfalls with inappropriate uses of simulants. We report physical and geotechnical properties of PCA-1 and PGI-1, including their reflectance spectra, grain size distributions, abrasivity, cohesion, strength, and hardness. Our intent is for PCA-1 and PGI-1 to be open standards for Phobos simulants, and we present the simulant recipes and production methodology for use and modification by the community.
Phobos regolith simulants PGI-1 and PCA-1
Advances in Space Research ; 67 , 10 ; 3308-3327
2021-01-13
20 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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