Development of a Lunar Dust Simulant

ORBITEC is currently developing simulant materials that mimic many of the unique properties of lunar dust. First, a proprietary process creates simulated agglutinates and glass spherules that contain metallic iron globules (including nanophase Fe⁰). The processed material is then ground down to create the lunar dust simulant. This paper will discuss the characteristics of lunar dust, provide an overview of the process used to create several prototype lunar dust simulants, and summarize the NASA characterization of the prototype lunar dust simulants.