Mars Millennium Project | |||
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Mars Soil Simulant (JSC Mars-1) is now available for research and educational purposes for the cost of shipping (roughly $1/pound or $55 for 5-gallon sealed buckets). Free samples may also be requested. The simulant is collected from easily weathered basaltic material on the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Kea (which is very similar to Martian volcanos). It has color (a reddish-brown), mineralogy, chemical composition, particle size, density, and magnetic properties similar to the oxidized soil of Mars. Uses: An analog to a Mars material that students can examine in person, comparison with unweathered basalt to explain why Mars is red, a medium for growing plants, and Mars dioramas. For a sample, please send a written request to the Office of the Curator, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058. For more information, contact Carlton C. Allen, Lockheed Martin Space Science Systems & Services, Houston, TX 77058. Note: Due to the time delay and expense involved as well as limited supplies of JSC Mars-1, we have opted to use our own "locally grown" volcanic cinders. Quantities of "Santiam Mars-2 Soil Sim", (below left), were obtained with permission from the Oregon Department of Transportation-maintained cinder cone at the Santiam Junction of Oregon State Highways 20 and 22. While the color is "redder" with larger particle size than the JSC variety from Hawaii, we feel that this stuff will make a great stand-in for our purposes. Of course, we try and remove as much of the smaller fines as possible, (below center), with our custom Santiam Sim Sifting System. | |||
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