NAO-1: Lunar Highland Soil Simulant Developed in China

A new lunar highland soil simulant, NAO-1, has been created in National Astronomical Observatories (NAO), Chinese Academy of Sciences. This simulant was produced by gabbro, which includes large quantity of feldspar (An>90). The simulant's chemical composition, mineralogy, particle-size distribution, density, angle of internal friction, and cohesion have been analyzed and results demonstrated that most characteristics of NAO-1 are similar with lunar highland soil samples. NAO-1 will benefit the scientific and engineering research of lunar soil.