Geotechnical Behavior of JSC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant

Abstract

To facilitate the modeling and simulation of lunar activities and natural processes, various lunar soil simulants have been created. In particular, Johnson Space Center Number One lunar soil simulant (JSC-1) has come into wide use by a variety of investigators. In any physical experiment, the behavioral properties of this simulant will have a profound impact on the results. To better understand these soil properties, a variety of conventional and unconventional experiments were conducted on JSC-1 to determine its friction angle and appropriate low strain elastic constants. These experiments were conducted on JSC-1 at a variety of relative densities to quantify the response of the soil over the range of possible conditions. Further, the samples were prepared through vibratory densification, allowing for a better simulation of probable lunar surface packing arrangements.