We describe the geological structure of the Moon and its evolution from the time of its joint formation with the Earth to the present. The common origin of both of these bodies justifies the search for analogues of the rocks that build the Earth andthe Moon. On this basis, we characterize the rocks that constitute the crust of the Moon. These comprise rocks of the primary planetary anorthosite crust: anorthosites and, subordinately, other gabbroid rocks (gabbros, troctolites, norrites). These rocks make up the lunar highlands and mainly build the far side of the Moon. On the near side, there are vast areas covered with basaltoids several hundred meters thick, of various ages: the lunarmaria. These two types of igneous rocks constitute the Moon's crust. Its surface is coveredwith materialproduced by impact metamorphism from incoming asteroids, meteoroids, micrometeoroids and interplanetary dust, as well as resulting from the crust's interaction with solar wind particles and cosmic radiation. This regolith comprises loose material a few to several meters thick. We compare the chemical composition of these lunar igneous rocks with the chemical composition of the igneous rocks of Lower Silesia. Basaltoids, anorthosites, gabbros and troctolites were included in our analysis. We conclude, unsurprisingly, that it is currently impossible to indicate the occurrence of natural analogues of lunar rocks in Lower Silesia. There are large differences between the chemical composition between the rocks constituting the primary planetary crust of the Moon and the igneous alkaline rocks of Lower Silesia, the latter representing strongly differentiated igneous rocks of the Earth's crust and upper mantle. Nevertheless, in the case of basaltoids, it will likely be possible in the near future to find rocks that can, with some approximation, be considered analogues of lunar basaltoids. At present, potential locations of lunar-like basalts and foidites include the Zaręba and Księginki quarries near Lubań. In the case of plutonie rocks, especially anorthosites, Lower Silesian analogues of lunar rocks will be very approximate. However, based on basaltoid rocks from Lower Silesia, and perhaps later also using gabbroid rocks, it should be possible to produce a natural analogue of the lunar regolith. Rock material from terrestrial analogues will have to be significantly processed both physically and chemically to obtain the composition and structure of this regolith material. These considerations, however, are not the purpose of this work. We focus primarily on analogies of chemical and mineral composition, as the basic features enabling the production of a lunar regolith analogue. We are particularly interested in pointing out analogies resulting from the composition of the parent magmas of these rocks, as reflected in the chemical composition of the rocks and their mineral composition. Due to significant differences in the age of crystallization of lunar magmas and their conditions of this crystallization compared to the rocks of Lower Silesia (on Earth), it is not presently possible to indicate Lower Silesian age-analogues of lunar rocks or structural and textural analogues.
The discrete element method (DEM) is a numerical technique used in many areas of modern science to describe the behavior of bulk materials. Terramechanics of planetary soil analogs for in situ resource utilization activities is a research field where the use of DEM appears to be beneficial. Indeed, the close-to-physics modeling approach of DEM allows the researcher to gain much insight into the mechanical behavior of the regolith when it interacts with external devices in conditions that are hard to test experimentally. Nevertheless, DEM models are very difficult to calibrate due to their high complexity. In this paper, we study the influence of fundamental model parameters on specific simulation outcomes. We provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of the influence of DEM model parameters on the simulated repose angle and computational time. These results help to understand the behavior of the numerical model and are useful in the model calibration process.
A concept of magnetic separation of regolith for production of lunar aggregate is presented in the paper. Future construction effort on the Moon will require significant amounts of concrete-like composites. The authors formulate a hypothesis that magnetic separation of regolith would be a very efficient beneficiation procedure solving multiple civil engineering problems associated with properties of raw lunar soil. For the research program, 10 lunar soil simulants were used. The magnetic separation was feasible in majority of cases. Acquired lunar aggregate would be useful for both concrete-like composite production and covering the surface of a habitat. The aims of future research are pointed out in the paper.
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Aim of an extensive research project is an analysis of surface properties of Moon’s regolith covering and the assessment of the possible existence of usable water on the Moon. In the present paper a short historical survey on Moon’s exploration and recent and planned missions is given. Recent recognitions are discussed on the basis of origin and history of the Moon and the import of water from other celestial bodies. Characteristic data and chemical composition of the Moon’s surface are summarised with respect to possible water or ice preservation. Experimental investigations have been made on three typical lunar regolith powder samples from the Apollo 11, 12 and 16 missions. The experiments include spectroscopic and thermal analysis, density measurements and sorptometry. In the present paper we give a survey on measuring methods applied and discuss some results. The measurements confirm results of investigations made with less sensitive equipment shortly after the missions. With regard to water occurrence we found that the regolith cover of the Moon surface is rather hydrophobic and can hardly store water as adsorbed layers.
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We performed stepwise heating experiments for determination of the two stable isotope ratios of argon fractions and total concentrations of the three stable isotopes 36Ar, 38Ar and 40Ar in lunar regolith acquired from the Apollo 11, Apollo 12 and Apollo16 missions. Also the concentration of in situ formed radiogenic 40Ar was estimated on the basis of known ages and potassium concentrations determined by isotope dilution method. The observed excess of 40Ar concentration is interpreted to be due to variable (over geological time) flux of solar energetic particles which were implanted into the material at the Moon surface.
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