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Completed TRL 2 (started at 1, targeting 3)
Project Objective
Perform a series of feasibility studies for the use of visible micro-Raman spectroscopy to characterize lunar regolith for mineral fractions and glass content, determine the calcium content of the mineral plagioclase within 2% to 5%, and assess ICON Technology's Laser Vitreous Material Transformation construction material to show Raman's capabilities as a feedstock resource prospecting tool and final construction material characterization technology.
Project Description
Melting and sintering of regolith (the unconsolidated material that covers rocky planetary surfaces such as the Moon) are dependent on the glass content and the minerals with the highest melting temperatures. In the case of the lunar highlands (generally, the light-colored, heavily cratered portions of the Moon), the mineral that dictates melting temperature is high-calcium plagioclase. If one knows the glass content and the calcium content of the plagioclase mineral, one can reasonably predict the temperature at which the regolith will melt. Northwestern University, experts in experimental Raman techniques, and ICON Technology, creator of the Laser Vitreous Material Transformation (VMX) construction material, are working with NASA to determine if specific Raman techniques can provide adequate information on glass content and calcium abundance in plagioclase to 1) prospect for appropriate VMX feedstock, 2) predict processing parameters for VMX, and 3) characterize the VMX material itself once it is made. The ultimate goal of the project is to provide design requirements for a flight Raman spectrometer that can assess lunar regolith feedstock as well as regolith-based construction material on the lunar surface.
The partnership was enabled using a Cooperative Agreement Notice contract mechanism in which the Northwestern and ICON partners brought just over half of the funding to the project, with the NASA share at less than half of the funding. The Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) project provided the NASA funding as an investment towards the instruments needed to accompany a major surface construction capability.
Project Results and Conclusions
The effort investigated multiple simulants and determined the calcium content of plagioclase minerals within the simulants using electron microscopy for comparison with the Raman data obtained with the experimental system. Glass fractions were quantified using microscopy and compared to the Raman analyses. The data indicates the use of Raman for determining calcium content of plagioclase and glass content in regolith is possible.
In addition to the glass content and plagioclase calcium content, regolith simulant volatiles and the effect of space weathering on Raman data was investigated. Further work into the strength of the VMX construction material based on its mineralogy is under formulation.
The Cooperative Agreement Notice work directly benefits the Moon to Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology (MMPACT) project in that it allows characterization of regolith to reveal its melting temperature and the capability to assess the final construction material product. In fact, all melting or sintering in-situ resource utilization technologies can benefit from the Raman spectrometer’s data in determining their processing parameters. The secondary benefit is scientific data; this is the first design of a Raman spectrometer that is capable of determining calcium content in plagioclase minerals and glass content in regolith, which has relevance to the origin and maturity of the regolith.
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