| Many of the essential materials needed for the construction of permanent lunar bases and test beds for future missions to Mars can be produced from the resources on the lunar surface. Utilization of in situ resources on the moon will reduce the need and cost to bring everything from the earth. Therefore, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the geotechnical behavior of lunar regolith. However, only a limited amount of information is available about the geotechnical properties of lunar soils. In addition, the amount of lunar regolith brought back to the earth is small. To execute the many small and large scale equipment tests planned for In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), it is necessary to develop a simulant which is inexpensive and can be produced in large quantities. This dissertation presents the methodology behind developing such a lunar-like geotechnical soil, GRC-3, and compares the properties of this soil with that of lunar regolith to provide insight into the material's geotechnical properties. Results show that particle size distribution, specific gravity, relative density, friction angle and compressibility are similar to that of the lunar regolith. Additionally, the lunar regolith mare simulant JSC-1A and the lunar regolith highland simulant NU-LHT-2M were mechanically characterized and compared to those of the returned lunar regolith. The ASTM standard laboratory tests used in the studies of these lunar simulants were compared to the techniques used in the studies of lunar regolith. |
