Properties of Frozen Soil for Excavation on the Moon

Abstract

Establishment of a base on the moon is an essential part of deep space missions. Any base on the moon should be self supporting, meaning the base should be able to mine, process, and store consumable resources on the moon to the extent possible. One of the most important aspects of establishing a base on the moon is the ability to excavate various formations for construction and mining purposes. Although the surface of the moon is covered by regolith and rock fragments, the layers below surface are more consolidated due to vibration caused by impacts or possibly freezing of condensed water vapors in the dark side and poles of the moon. the ice in the frozen soil, is possibly the most valuable resource on the moon and its excavation should be a part of advance planning of mining activities in space programs. This paper covers some of the background information on the properties of frozen regolith and discusses the extensive testing performed on lunar stimulant soils, including the compaction testing, measurement of compressive strength of frozen soil, indentation tests, and full scale cutting test of samples for development of a prototype lunar excavator.

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Comments

Kennedy Space Center, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

Excavation; Frozen Soil; Indentation; Lunar Mining; Material Characterization; Moon Mining

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-161782352-7

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 International Society of Rock Mechanics, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2008

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