Processing of Lunar/Mars raw materials into usable structural and thermal components for use on a Lunar/Mars base will be essential for human habitation. One such component will be glass fiber which can be used in a number of applications. Glass fiber has been produced from two lunar soil simulants. These two materials simulate lunar mare and lunar highlands soil compositions. Short fibers containing recrystallized areas were produced from the as-received simulants. Doping the highland simulant with 8 weight percent boria yielded a material which could be spun continuously. The effects of lunar gravity on glass fiber formation were studied utilizing NASA's KC135 aircraft. Gravity was found to play a role in crystallization and final fiber diameter.
Processing Glass Fiber from Moon/Mars Resources
Sixth ASCE Specialty Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space ; 1998 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Space 98 ; 290-300
1998-04-21
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Processing Glass Fiber from Moon/Mars Resources
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