DESCRIPTION

MMS-1: Mojave Mars Simulant 1 (MMS-1) is based on original research conducted by NASA/JPL in 2007 supporting the Mars Phoenix mission. Our MMS-1 simulant is composed of Saddleback Basalt from the same sources used by the JPL. Whole rocks crushed to aggregate, are then sift separated by grain size, and vacuum-seal packed and labelled to be shipped for your valuable research and projects.

MMS-2: Enhanced Mojave Mars Simulant 2 (MMS-2) is a chemically enriched blend of Mars regolith simulant. Based on MMS-1 Super-Fine Grade, we then add Iron III Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Oxide and Calcium Oxide. The addition of these compounds changes the Aluminum Oxide : Iron Oxide ratio. This ratio is critical - on Earth, aluminum oxides are dominant, while iron oxides are more abundant on Mars. By changing the Al:Fe Ratio, we can get MMS-2 closer to the chemical composition of Mars than any other Martian simulant.


Designing for Mars

Mars presents unique challenges for spacecraft that hope to land on its surface. Its atmosphere is too thin to be very helpful for slowing down, but it's also just thick enough to be a problem. Temperature can vary wildly between day and night, and global dust storms can blot out the sun for weeks at a time. 

The surface of Mars is covered by sand and dust, formed by the erosion of iron-rich igneous rocks that are similar to basalt.  Known as "Regolith", this material can be coarse, or fine, or an incredibly fine powderlike dust. Carried by the wind and suspended in the atmosphere, this dust poses a constant risk to hardware on the surface of Mars. Solar panels can be covered, intake filters can clog, and moving parts can lock. On future manned missions, the Martian regolith could even pose health threats to astronauts if not properly mitigated.

Technology sent to other planets is only as good as the environments it is tested against. Landers, rovers, solar panels and robot arms all have to be tested for their ability to withstand the conditions found on the surface of Mars. Since no Martian regolith has ever been returned to Earth, scientists needed a way to simulate what they think the surface of Mars is like, and see how their designs held up to the challenge.

Simulating the surface of Mars accurately requires a material that has a different iron-to-aluminum ratio than most igneous rocks found on Earth. 

To support Mars missions, NASA has developed several different types of Mars regolith simulant. The first, JSC-Mars 1, was developed in 1997 based on the lessons of the Viking and Pathfinder missions. JSC-Mars 1 was composed of a material known as palagonitic tephra. This material forms when basaltic lava flows into a body of water, creating clouds of steam that carried rapidly cooling droplets of molten rock into the air, forming spherules of basalt. One place this material accumulated was near the Pu'u Nene cinder cone in Hawaii - the source of JSC-Mars 1.

As we learned more about Mars, NASA and the JPL needed a new simulant that was more accurate in the way it behaved when exposed to water. This led to the development of Mojave Mars Simulant during the Mars Phoenix mission. At Saddleback mountain, an ancient volcano in the Mojave desert. 20 million years ago, a basaltic lava flow erupted from the slopes of Saddleback mountain, creating the Saddleback basalt deposit. This iron-rich rock formed the source of Mojave Mars Simulant.


Making Mars

We use the original NASA/JPL research to guide our production of Mojave Mars Simulant to ensure that our MMS-1 is the same cutting-edge material used by scientists and engineers around the world.

Boulders and rocks from the exact same deposit of Saddleback Basalt used by JPL, have been crushed to a mixture of particles ranging from fine powder to coarse gravel. This aggregate is then transported back to our Texas site where it is sift sorted multiple times to separate it into coarse, fine, and superfine grades of simulant; then vacuum-seal packed and labelled, waiting for your project to bring it to life.


For the NASA Nebraska Fellowship Project...


I used 12 Kilograms of the MMS- 1 simulant. (4 kilograms of 'course' 8 Kilograms of 'Fine" grades) in an 18 gallon handblown glass enclosure with a plexiglass top to allow for a rain cycle. I added water to the regolith as we layered it on top of a 1 inch layer of hydroton pebbles about 1.5 centimeters pieces. We wore masks during the construction because the regolith has enough silica in it that the dust could cause us serious and permanent damage to the lungs if inhaled. Something Martian Gardens was very clear on, both during our phone conversations and in the warning labels on their packaging. This is important because it simulates the dangers of working with regolith as it currently is on our big red neighboring planet.


The MMS-1 Mohave Mars Simulant regolith is entirely mineral and contains no organic material. The composition is as follows:

  • Silica - 49%
  • Iron Oxide - 11%
  • Aluminum Oxide - 17%
  • Calcium Oxide - 10%
  • Magnesium Oxide - 6%
  • Sulfate - <1%
  • Trace - 6%

This is the recipe created by NASA in 2007 to support the Mars Phoenix mission. It was suggested I use the MMS -1 instead of the MMS -2 by Mark Cusimano during our phone conversation. He advised I use the MMS-1 as a precautionary measure for the safety of the Isopods and Springtails. He explained the shape of the MMS -2 Silica particles was too close to the way we see it in diatomaceous earth. This meant there was a possibility the substrate could shred the exosceletons of any arthropods. He wasnt sure if that would happen but wanted to help me ensure the best possible outcome for the organism in my enclosure. I am glad he did. Our Giant Canyon species has been burrowing happily through the substrate with no issues. With his advice we may have avoided losing our isopods through ignorance before my experiment had even started.