Geotechnical Properties of the Icy Lunar Regolith in Cryogenic Environments Anticipated in Permanently Shadowed Regions of the Moon
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 37, Issue 1
Abstract
Ever since the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) data helped confirm the presence of water in the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) of the lunar polar area, interest in developing systems for the production of water on the Moon has peaked. Considering the extremely cold environment on the lunar surface, geotechnical properties of icy lunar regolith could have notable variance depending on water content and cryogenic environment. It is essential to have an in-depth understanding of the geotechnical properties of icy lunar regolith under varying conditions such as different water contents and cryogenic temperatures. Previous studies have shown that icy regolith behaves similarly to rock, depending on the water content and degree of compaction. Characterizing icy regolith is critical for any drilling and excavation operations for the development of the bases or for mining activities. This study estimated geotechnical behaviors of icy lunar regolith in cryogenic environments. Geotechnical tests such as unconfined compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), and punch penetration tests were conducted in simulated lunar cryogenic environments on samples of basaltic lunar simulant with changing water content. The results indicate that geotechnical properties of icy lunar regolith vary substantially in simulated moon environments. Icy lunar regolith tends to behave like rock with soft to medium strengths but has nonbrittle (or ductile) properties. Correlations between strength properties and water content as well as between strength properties and cryogenic temperature are offered. The results of this paper could provide valuable suggestions for future mining and civil activities and other exploration purposes on the moon. The results of mechanical characterization of icy regolith provided in this paper, such as UCS, BTS, and punch penetration tests to determine ductility and brittleness, are among the novel aspect of the study to offer better understanding of the behavior of such materials in future mining and construction activities on the moon.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published paper.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Contract no. 80NSSC18K026. The authors acknowledge contributions from Dr. Julie Kleinhenz of NASA and Dr. Jared Atkinson of Honeybee Robotics on lunar regolith simulant development and sample preparations. The authors also express their gratitude to staff of the Excavation Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) of the Colorado School of Mines for their contributions and support of the testing in this research.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 37 • Issue 1 • January 2024
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 14, 2023
Accepted: Aug 25, 2023
Published online: Nov 9, 2023
Published in print: Jan 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Apr 9, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Aerospace engineering
- Astronomy
- Cold regions engineering
- Compressive strength
- Geotechnical engineering
- Geotechnical investigation
- Hydrologic engineering
- Hydrologic properties
- Hydrology
- Ice
- Lunar materials
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Moon
- Penetration tests
- Space colonies
- Strength of materials
- Water and water resources
- Water content
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