Results of the 2015 Workshop on Asteroid Simulants

TL;DR

The 2015 asteroid simulants workshop aimed to develop diverse, affordable asteroid-like materials for testing, training, and research, based on lessons from lunar simulants and benchmarked against multiple data sources.

Contribution

Introduced a new program to produce asteroid simulants across major spectral classes, expanding from a single type to multiple classes, with verification through laboratory and observational data.

Findings

Development of asteroid simulants for multiple spectral classes

Benchmarking methods include meteorite analysis and asteroid mission data

Simulants are verified for accuracy and repeatability

Abstract

The first asteroid simulants workshop was held in late 2015. These materials are needed for tests of technologies and mission operational concepts, for training astronauts , for medical studies, and a variety of other purposes. The new program is based on lessons learned from the earlier lunar simulants program. It aims to deliver families of simulants for major spectral classes of asteroids both in cobble and regolith form, beginning with one type of carbonaceous chondrite and rapidly expanding to provide four to six more asteroid classes. These simulants will replicate a selected list of asteroid properties, but not all known properties, in order to serve the greatest number of users at an affordable price. They will be benchmarked by a variety of data sets including laboratory analysis of meteorites, observation of bolides, remote sensing of asteroids, data from asteroid missions, and scientific modeling. A variety of laboratory tests will verify the as-manufactured simulants are accurately and repeatedly providing the specified characteristics.