Current Research
Geotechnical Aspects of Martian Regolith Simulants: JSC Mars-1
Any Martian mission entailing establishment of a habitat or vehicles operating on the planetary surfaces requires proper characterization of the native soils. Planetary geology and regolith properties contribute to the mechanical interactions between the Martian structures and the native soil. JSC Mars-1 is a regolith simulant developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Johnson Space Center based on the data collected by the onboard instruments from the Viking and Pathfinder landers. The primary objective of the project is to mechanistically characterize the physical and mechanical properties of the JSC Mars-1 regolith to better understand the physical, mechanical, and physio-chemical properties of the Martian simulants. The resilient properties, strength parameters, and deformation potential are of primary interest in this effort.