BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant BP-1
Crushed basalt rock powder, not one compound. Its chemistry is given as oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Na2O), mainly labradorite plagioclase and augite pyroxene.
BP-1 Black Point is a lunar mare simulant made from crushed basalt waste.
Evidence level
2 of 5
Lab-measured
- 0Predicted only. No one has made it, or no measurement exists.
- 1Calculated. Only calculated or predicted values from sources.
- 2Lab-measured. Measured properties with their conditions stated.
- 3Space-relevant tests. Measured in conditions relevant to space, such as vacuum or atomic oxygen.
- 4Ground-qualified. Qualified for an application on the ground.
- 5Flown or field-proven. Flight or field results exist.
Grain size
1 to 10,000 µm
Grain shape
0.67
Density
1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3
Strength
39 to 51 degrees
Silica
0.52
Recipe, share of the weight
- - not statedLabradorite (plagioclase feldspar)
- - not statedAugite (pyroxene)
- - not statedOlivine
- SiO2 not statedSilicon dioxide (average)
Best for
Excavation, flow, drilling and rover mobility tests that need angular basalt rubble with a broad particle size range, pebbles and cobbles included
Weakest at
Chemistry: alkaline and plagioclase-rich, with secondary halite, bassanite, calcite and quartz, and a crystalline silica content that needs controls
Risk at a glance
- People No data. No hazard data recorded
- If it fails No data. No failure risks recorded
- Corrosion No data. No corrosion data recorded
Quick facts: BP-1
| Property | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.81 g/cm³ | 1 sourced value |
What is the density of BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant?
BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant has a density of 2.81 g/cm³. The source and test conditions are listed in the properties table on this page.
What is BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant used for?
Uses recorded in the sources include Excavation and flow tests; Excavation, construction and surface mobility projects; Construction materials tests.
Why it exists
BP-1 is a lunar mare simulant that was not made to copy lunar chemistry. It is crushed basalt waste from a road-metal quarry in northern Arizona, and it was discovered during a Desert RATS analog test. The users guide says it is attractive because it has pebble- and cobble-sized rock mixed with finer particles, which suits excavation, construction and surface mobility work. Stoeser et al. note that its alkali content is high for a lunar basalt, so it is not suited to tests where composition is critical.
Where it's used
Excavation and flow
ARES rates BP-1 recommended for excavation and flow. Its particle size distribution and angular, elongated grains produce a high angle of repose in large piles.
Surface mobility and construction
The users guide says BP-1's pebbles and cobbles make it a good physical simulant for excavation, construction and surface mobility technology projects. ARES rates it potentially suitable for construction, with a caution about calcite.
Drilling and abrasion
ARES rates BP-1 recommended for dry drilling and for abrasion and wear, because its angular grains are abrasive and its mineralogy is adequate.
Dust mitigation for habitats
ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for dust mitigation in habitats, but says weathered minerals may alter its dust behavior compared with lunar fines.
Recipe
Crushed basalt rock powder, not one compound. Its chemistry is given as oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Na2O), mainly labradorite plagioclase and augite pyroxene.
BP-1 is not one compound. It is crushed basalt from the Black Point lava flow, made mostly of labradorite plagioclase feldspar and augite pyroxene by weight, with smaller amounts of olivine, magnetite, and secondary halite and bassanite. Its chemistry is given as oxides, not as a formula. ARES says it was not processed or modified after collection from the quarry washing waste.
| Ingredient | Share of the weight | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Labradorite (plagioclase feldspar) - | not stated | The main mineral. Stoeser et al. say plagioclase is much more abundant in the whole sample than in the sieved splits. |
| Augite (pyroxene) - | not stated | The main mafic mineral after plagioclase, from the original basalt. |
| Olivine - | not stated | Varies between bags of the same material, which the authors call probably real. |
| Silicon dioxide (average) SiO2 | not stated | Average silica of the five 1-ton lots. Silica in the BP-1 feedstock is mostly secondary, not primary (Stoeser et al.). |
Weight shares are as printed in the sources.
What it can do
Grain size
1 to 10,000 µm
measured
Particle sizes run from 1 to 10,000 µm, with a mean of 100 µm (ARES). Stoeser et al. describe a large share of particles in a narrow range, plus both fine and coarse particles.
Grain shape
0.67
measured
ARES describes the particles as irregular and angular. The users guide gives an aspect ratio of 0.67 and a root form factor of 0.93 for BP-1, from SDL 2022 images.
Density
1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3
measured
Bulk density is 1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3 (ARES, citing Rahmatian and Metzger 2010). The users guide gives a relative maximum density of 1.86 g/cm3 and a relative minimum of 1.43 g/cm3, both from Suescun-Florez et al. 2015.
Strength
39 to 51 degrees
measured
Triaxial cohesion is 0 to 2.0 kPa and friction angle is 39 to 51 degrees (ARES). The users guide gives an average friction angle of 45 degrees for the same reference.
Silica
0.52
measured
Total crystalline silica is 0.52 wt% in the 2023 analysis and 1.89 wt% in the 2010 analysis, as printed in the users guide. The two are not reconciled.
How it compares
BP-1 is a basalt rubble for ground tests, not a copy of lunar mare chemistry. Stoeser et al. say its high alkali content, relative to lunar basalts, may rule it out where composition is critical, but that this has nothing to do with its behavior as a geotechnical material. ARES says its particle size falls within one standard deviation of the lunar regolith range, and that its mechanical behavior in vibratory densification and shear tests is similar to lunar soil. ARES also lists its high plagioclase content, relative to lunar mare basalt, as a con. The table compares BP-1 with the same benchmarks used for other simulants in this collection.
The same measurements for each material, so you can compare them. Each row names the key condition under the value; the full conditions and methods are in the numbered notes under Technical details.
| Measurement | BP-1 |
|---|---|
| Physical and electrical | |
| Bulk density | 1.5 to 1.6 g/cm³1 |
| Relative maximum density | 1.86 g/cm³4 |
| Relative minimum density | 1.43 g/cm³5 |
| Hardness (Mohs scale) | 4 to 5 Mohs scale6 |
| Other measurements | |
| Specific gravity | 2.81 g/cm³2 |
| Void ratio | 0.49 to 0.965 -3 |
| Triaxial cohesion, range | 0 to 2 kPa7 |
| Cohesion, average (shear strength reference) | 1 to 2 kPa8 |
| Friction angle, range | 39 to 51 °9 |
| Friction angle, average | 45 to 51 °10 |
| Particle size range | 1 to 10000 µm11 |
| Mean particle size | 100 µm12 |
| Particle size, 25th quartile (Q25) | 36.4 µm13 |
| Particle size, median (Q50) | 88.4 µm14 |
| Particle size, 75th quartile (Q75) | 205 µm15 |
| Particle aspect ratio (image analysis) | 0.67 -16 |
| Root form factor (image analysis) | 0.93 -17 |
| Silicon dioxide (average of 5 bags) | 44 wt%18 |
| Aluminium oxide (average of 5 bags) | 17 wt%19 |
| Calcium oxide (average of 5 bags) | 14 wt%20 |
| Magnesium oxide (average of 5 bags) | 8 wt%21 |
| Iron(III) oxide (average of 5 bags) | 11 wt%22 |
| Sodium oxide (average of 5 bags) | 3 wt%23 |
| Potassium oxide (average of 5 bags) | 0 wt%24 |
| Labradorite (plagioclase), bulk XRD | 60.7 wt%25 |
| Augite (pyroxene), bulk XRD | 23.7 wt%26 |
| Olivine, bulk XRD | 6.2 wt%27 |
| Halite (NaCl), range printed on ARES | 1 to 5 wt%28 |
| Bassanite (CaSO4 0.5 H2O), range printed on ARES | 1 to 3 wt%29 |
| Halite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags | 1 wt%30 |
| Bassanite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags | 2 wt%31 |
| Cristobalite, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags | 0.57 to 2.9 wt%32 |
| Quartz, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags (upper value) | < 2.3 wt%33 |
| Total crystalline silica, 2010 analysis | 1.89 wt%34 |
| Total crystalline silica, 2022 analysis | 0.36 wt%35 |
| Total crystalline silica, 2023 analysis | 0.52 wt%36 |
| Percent passing under 10 µm, respirable fraction | 11.5 %37 |
| Respirable crystalline silica, 2023 analysis | 0.06 wt%38 |
| Particle aspect ratio, average (Dotson et al. 2024) | 0.654 -39 |
| Particle sphericity (Dotson et al. 2024) | 0.528 -40 |
| Equivalent circular diameter, average (xECD) | 27.56 µm41 |
| Particle size D50 (Dotson et al. 2024) | 228.9 µm42 |
Why choose it, and why not
Good for
- Excavation and flow tests, where the angular, broad particle size distribution gives a high angle of repose (ARES).
- Rover mobility and construction tests that need basalt rubble with pebbles and cobbles (users guide).
Watch out for
- Crystalline silica: 1.89 wt% in one 2010 analysis and 0.36 to 0.52 wt% in later rows. Cristobalite is 0.57 to 2.9 wt% in the 2010 industrial hygiene data.
- Salts: halite and bassanite can change reactivity with ice and can affect oxygen extraction.
- Composition: alkaline and plagioclase-rich, not lunar mare chemistry.
- Variation: mineral content changes from bag to bag, so check each shipment.
BP-1 is a physical simulant for excavation and surface mobility tests, not a chemistry match for the Moon. Its silica and salt content need controls, and no source read here tests it under vacuum or thermal conditions.
Technical details
For scientists and researchers. Everything above comes from the record below: every number with its method, its conditions and its source.
Notes
The method, full conditions and any caveat for the numbered rows above.
| # | Measurement | Method | Conditions | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulk density | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page in the Geomechanical and Physical Properties section, Density table, Bulk row | state bulk; compaction and moisture not stated on the pageattribution Rahmatian and Metzger 2010, as cited on the ARES page | — |
| 2 | Specific gravity | Value printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table), attributed there to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 | state as printed in the ARES table header; the page cites Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 | — |
| 3 | Void ratio | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table) | state range as printed; the page attributes it to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 | — |
| 4 | Relative maximum density | Value printed in the users guide density table for BP-1 (rho max column) | basis rho(max) as printed in the users guide, averaged reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015 | — |
| 5 | Relative minimum density | Value printed in the users guide density table for BP-1 (rho min column) | basis rho(min) as printed in the users guide, reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015 | — |
| 6 | Hardness (Mohs scale) | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table, Hardness column) | state as printed on the ARES page | — |
| 7 | Triaxial cohesion, range | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Triaxial: Shear Strength, Cohesion column) | test triaxial shear strength, as cited on the ARES page to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015note the page does not give test details | — |
| 8 | Cohesion, average (shear strength reference) | Average printed in the users guide shear strength table, BP-1 row (C avg column, range 0-2.0) | basis average and range as printed in the users guide; reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015region Low-Ti mare | — |
| 9 | Friction angle, range | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Triaxial: Shear Strength, Friction Angle column) | test triaxial shear strength, as cited on the ARES page to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 | — |
| 10 | Friction angle, average | Average printed in the users guide shear strength table, BP-1 row (phi avg column, range 39.0-51.0) | basis average and range as printed in the users guide; reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015region Low-Ti mare | — |
| 11 | Particle size range | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (General Properties, Particle Size Range column, printed as 1 - 10,000) | basis range printed on the ARES page, General Properties table | — |
| 12 | Mean particle size | Value printed on the ARES BP-1 page (General Properties, Mean Particle Size column) | basis mean printed on the ARES page, General Properties table | — |
| 13 | Particle size, 25th quartile (Q25) | Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row | basis average Q25 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)region Low-Ti mare | — |
| 14 | Particle size, median (Q50) | Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row | basis average Q50 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)region Low-Ti mare | — |
| 15 | Particle size, 75th quartile (Q75) | Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row | basis average Q75 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)region Low-Ti mare | — |
| 16 | Particle aspect ratio (image analysis) | Value printed in the users guide particle geometry table, BP-1 row | basis bulk value from SDL 2022 (JSC-ARES) particle images, as printed in the users guide | — |
| 17 | Root form factor (image analysis) | Value printed in the users guide particle geometry table, BP-1 row | basis bulk value from SDL 2022 (JSC-ARES) particle images, as printed in the users guide | — |
| 18 | Silicon dioxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five 1-ton lots (Bag All)sample BP-1 bulk | — |
| 19 | Aluminium oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All) | — |
| 20 | Calcium oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All); the authors link high CaO to secondary minerals | — |
| 21 | Magnesium oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All) | — |
| 22 | Iron(III) oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All) | — |
| 23 | Sodium oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All) | — |
| 24 | Potassium oxide (average of 5 bags) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column | basis whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All). The USGS sample W172158 in Table 1 gives 1.1 wt%, a conflict recorded in gaps | — |
| 25 | Labradorite (plagioclase), bulk XRD | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value | basis preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors | — |
| 26 | Augite (pyroxene), bulk XRD | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value | basis preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors | — |
| 27 | Olivine, bulk XRD | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value | basis preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors | — |
| 28 | Halite (NaCl), range printed on ARES | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Recommendation section, Drilling and Human Health rows) | basis range given in the ARES use notes; Stoeser et al. 2010 Table 5 gives 1 to 5 wt% across the five bags | — |
| 29 | Bassanite (CaSO4 0.5 H2O), range printed on ARES | Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Recommendation section, Drilling row) | basis range given in the ARES use notes. Stoeser et al. 2010 Table 5 shows bag 4 at 4 wt%, outside this range; recorded in gaps | — |
| 30 | Halite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD summary table, Bag All column | basis XRD of <10-µm splits, Bag All column; the salt was confirmed by washing with distilled water | — |
| 31 | Bassanite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD summary table, Bag All column | basis XRD of <10-µm splits, Bag All column; individual bags range 0 to 4 wt% | — |
| 32 | Cristobalite, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags | Range printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 health section, quoting the IHO report | basis 10 one-ton bags sampled by the Kennedy Space Center industrial hygiene office, NIOSH 7500 method by XRD; the authors call these values highly improbable for this rock | — |
| 33 | Quartz, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags (upper value) | Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 health section, quoting the IHO report | basis up to this value across 10 one-ton bags, NIOSH 7500 method by XRD; the authors say the quartz in the feedstock is secondary | — |
| 34 | Total crystalline silica, 2010 analysis | Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row | basis analysis symbol printed as ¤ (2010) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read | Disagrees with the 2022 and 2023 rows (0.36 and 0.52 wt%). Both values are printed; neither is preferred. |
| 35 | Total crystalline silica, 2022 analysis | Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row | basis analysis symbol printed as ‡ (2022) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read | — |
| 36 | Total crystalline silica, 2023 analysis | Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row | basis analysis symbol printed as § (2023) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read | — |
| 37 | Percent passing under 10 µm, respirable fraction | Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 2023 row | basis 2023 analysis as printed in the users guide | — |
| 38 | Respirable crystalline silica, 2023 analysis | Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 2023 row | basis total respirable crystalline silica, 2023 analysis as printed in the users guide | — |
| 39 | Particle aspect ratio, average (Dotson et al. 2024) | Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, a column | basis average aspect ratio (a) from image analysis of particles on an optical microscope, CILAS-1190 with 40x objective, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2 | — |
| 40 | Particle sphericity (Dotson et al. 2024) | Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, s column | basis image analysis as for aspect ratio, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2 | — |
| 41 | Equivalent circular diameter, average (xECD) | Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, xECD column | basis image analysis as for aspect ratio, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2 | — |
| 42 | Particle size D50 (Dotson et al. 2024) | Value printed in Table 3 (Particle Size Distributions), BP-1 row, D50 column | basis D50 from the particle size distribution printed in Table 3; differs from the users guide Q50 of 88.4 µm, and both are recorded | — |
Corrosion and compatibility
What happens when it meets other materials and environments.
| Environment | Concern | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrated mixture with ice (ice-regolith tests) | not rated | Halite and bassanite may change chemical reactivity when BP-1 is mixed with ice.1 |
| Oxygen extraction and metal production (volatiles and reactions with hardware) | not rated | Chlorine from halite and sulfur from bassanite can contaminate oxygen extraction products and react with hardware.2 |
| Natural weathering of the source basalt | not rated | Calcite and quartz in BP-1 are secondary minerals made by weathering or alteration of the basalt, not primary minerals.3 |
| # | Environment | Details | Test conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hydrated mixture with ice (ice-regolith tests) | ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for drilling when hydrated. It says the presence of halite (1-5 wt.%) and bassanite (1-3 wt.%) may affect studies with ice regolith mix because of changes in chemical reactivity. | basis ARES use note; no test on BP-1 is cited |
| 2 | Oxygen extraction and metal production (volatiles and reactions with hardware) | ARES says that Cl from halite and S from bassanite raise potential problems for volatiles processing and oxygen extraction, including reactivity, contamination of products and reactions with hardware. It says calcite may cause unwanted reactions in metal production. ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable with caution for both. | basis ARES recommendation text; no BP-1 extraction test is cited |
| 3 | Natural weathering of the source basalt | Stoeser et al. (2010) say calcite and quartz are not primary minerals and derive from weathering or alteration of the original basalt. Calcite ranges from 9 wt% to nil between bags, and olivine varies between bags, which the authors call probably real. Total secondary minerals in the under-10 mm splits are printed as 9 to 24 per cent. | basis XRD of bulk and sieved splits; the bulk XRD is labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors |
Risks and side effects
Hazards to people, what happens when a cell overheats, and how the material is handled and stored.
For people
No source read here classifies BP-1 as hazardous. It contains crystalline silica in measured amounts and produces fine dust. The BP-1-specific safety data sheet was not found; the file linked from ARES is a generic aggregate sheet.
- Crystalline silica
- The users guide prints total crystalline silica of 1.89 wt% for a 2010 analysis, 0.36 wt% for 2022 and 0.52 wt% for 2023. The 2023 row gives a respirable fraction of 11.5% and respirable crystalline silica of 0.06 wt%. The three totals disagree, and the guide does not define its analysis symbols in the text read.
- Cristobalite and quartz
- Stoeser et al. (2010) quote an industrial hygiene evaluation of ten 1-ton bags. NIOSH 7500 XRD found 0.57 to 2.9 wt% cristobalite and up to 2.3 wt% quartz in every bag. The authors call the cristobalite values highly improbable for this source rock.
- Fine particles
- Stoeser et al. say the abundance of fine particles is a concern for health if they become airborne.
- Measured exposure
- In a November 2023 test, moving BP-1 from bulk containers for 71 minutes gave a crystalline silica 8-hour TWA result below 5.22 µg/m3 and a respirable PNOR 8-hour TWA of 0.09 mg/m3.
- Limits
- The users guide lists OSHA limits of 50 µg/m3 for crystalline silica and 5 mg/m3 for respirable PNOR, both as 8-hour TWA values.
For a rover or test bed
Chemistry and dust matter for test beds and oxygen work, not only for people.
- Salts and reactivity
- ARES says halite (1 to 5 wt%) and bassanite (1 to 3 wt%) may change chemical reactivity in ice-regolith mixes, and may cause problems for oxygen extraction.
- Batch variation
- ARES says plagioclase and olivine vary greatly between shipments, so each shipment should be checked before use.
- Over-compaction
- ARES says care must be taken to avoid over compaction compared with lunar regolith.
Handling and storage
- Records
- The users guide says the JSC Simulant Development Lab keeps a safety data sheet for every simulant. Request the BP-1 sheet from that lab before use.
- Controls
- The industrial hygiene office recommended keeping non-essential people out of the area, a decontamination area with a HEPA vacuum for equipment, and hand-wash and eye-wash facilities for the BP-1 sandbox trial.
- Cleanup
- The generic aggregate sheet advises vacuuming, wet mopping or moistening with water to avoid airborne dust. This is general aggregate advice, not a BP-1 instruction.
Test details
The original wording and numbers from the sources, for readers who want them.
Failure risks
| Failure | Trigger and consequence |
|---|---|
| Over-compaction of the simulant | Compacting BP-1 in excavation and soil-bin testsARES says care must be taken to avoid over compaction compared with lunar regolith, so a compacted bed can behave unlike the Moon. |
| Altered dust behavior from weathered minerals | Use in human health or dust studiesARES says the presence of weathered minerals may alter dust behavior with other materials when compared with lunar fines. It prints secondary minerals as 9-24% in samples under 10 µm. |
| Shipment-to-shipment and bag-to-bag mineral variation | Using a new shipment or sample without checkingARES says plagioclase and olivine amounts vary greatly between whole shipments and samples of fines, and should be verified before use. Stoeser et al. report calcite from 9 wt% to nil between bags. |
Side effects on surrounding parts
| Affects | Effect |
|---|---|
| Oxygen extraction products and process hardware | ARES says Cl from halite and S from bassanite may cause problems for volatiles processing and oxygen extraction, including contamination of products and reactions with hardware. |
Handling and storage
- The users guide says the JSC Simulant Development Lab maintains a safety data sheet for every simulant. Request the BP-1 sheet from that lab, because no BP-1-specific sheet was read in this run.
- The Kennedy Space Center industrial hygiene office recommended, for the BP-1 sandbox trial, that non-essential people be kept out of the area, that a decontamination area with a HEPA vacuum be used for equipment, and that hand-wash and eye-wash facilities be provided.
- The generic aggregate sheet advises cleaning up spilled dust with vacuuming, wet mopping or moistening with water, so that dust does not go airborne. This is general aggregate advice, not a BP-1 instruction.
Mitigations
- The users guide says exposure monitoring is the only method to determine occupational exposure to crystalline silica. It reports that all JSC exposures to date were below the OSHA PEL and Action Level for crystalline silica. This covers all simulant tasks at JSC, not BP-1 alone.
- The industrial hygiene office recommended personal protective equipment and controls until exposure measurements could be made. For test judges, it said respiratory protection must comply with OSHA Respiratory Standard 1910.134, including medical certification, fit testing and training.
Supply and geography
How common the raw materials are and where they come from.
BP-1 quarry waste
Not stated in any source read. ARES gives no tonnage or producer share.
BP-1 holder and sampling
Not stated.
Documents
Datasheets, safety data sheets, papers and standards you can open.
Full record
The complete spore, as stored. Free to reuse under CC-BY-4.0. Images keep the licence shown with each one.
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spore: profile
id: bp-1-lunar-simulant
spore_version: 0.2
family: regolith
name: BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant
abbreviation: BP-1
role: Physical stand-in for lunar mare soil in excavation and surface mobility tests
category: regolith
type: lunar-simulants
summary: |
BP-1 Black Point is a lunar mare simulant made from crushed basalt waste. It came from a road-metal quarry on the Black Point lava flow in northern Arizona, and was discovered during a Desert RATS analog test. ARES prints a bulk density of 1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3 and a specific gravity of 2.81 g/cm3, with particles from 1 to 10,000 µm. The NASA users guide says its pebbles and cobbles make it a good physical simulant for excavation and surface mobility work. Its basalt is alkaline and plagioclase-rich, so it does not copy lunar mare chemistry.
best_for: Excavation, flow, drilling and rover mobility tests that need angular basalt rubble with a broad particle size range, pebbles and cobbles included
weakest_at: 'Chemistry: alkaline and plagioclase-rich, with secondary halite, bassanite, calcite and quartz, and a crystalline silica content that needs controls'
identity:
formula: Crushed basalt rock powder, not one compound. Its chemistry is given as oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Na2O), mainly labradorite plagioclase and augite pyroxene.
source: stoeser-2010
where: Introduction (feedstock paragraph), Table 3 (XRF analyses, Bag All column) and Table 4 (XRD of bulk BP-1)
tags:
environments: []
stresses: []
applications:
- rovers-and-surface-systems
- mechanisms
- structures
- habitats-and-suits
- in-space-manufacturing
properties:
- benchmark: bulk_density
label: Bulk density
value: 1.5
value_high: 1.6
bound: range
unit: g/cm3
scope: material
conditions:
state: bulk; compaction and moisture not stated on the page
attribution: Rahmatian and Metzger 2010, as cited on the ARES page
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page in the Geomechanical and Physical Properties section, Density table, Bulk row
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical and Physical Properties, Density table, Bulk row
- benchmark: specific_gravity
label: Specific gravity
value: 2.81
unit: g/cm3
scope: material
conditions:
state: as printed in the ARES table header; the page cites Suescun-Florez et al. 2015
method: Value printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table), attributed there to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical Properties table, Specific Gravity column
- benchmark: void_ratio
label: Void ratio
value: 0.49
value_high: 0.965
bound: range
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
state: range as printed; the page attributes it to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical Properties table, Void Ratio column
- benchmark: relative_max_density
label: Relative maximum density
value: 1.86
unit: g/cm3
scope: material
conditions:
basis: rho(max) as printed in the users guide, averaged reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015
method: Value printed in the users guide density table for BP-1 (rho max column)
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 16 (Lunar simulant density values), BP-1 row, rho(max) column
- benchmark: relative_min_density
label: Relative minimum density
value: 1.43
unit: g/cm3
scope: material
conditions:
basis: rho(min) as printed in the users guide, reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015
method: Value printed in the users guide density table for BP-1 (rho min column)
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 16 (Lunar simulant density values), BP-1 row, rho(min) column
- benchmark: hardness
label: Hardness (Mohs scale)
value: 4
value_high: 5
bound: range
unit: Mohs scale
scope: material
conditions:
state: as printed on the ARES page
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Geomechanical Properties table, Hardness column)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical Properties table, Hardness (Mohs scale) column
- benchmark: cohesion
label: Triaxial cohesion, range
value: 0
value_high: 2
bound: range
unit: kPa
scope: material
conditions:
test: triaxial shear strength, as cited on the ARES page to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015
note: the page does not give test details
method: 'Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Triaxial: Shear Strength, Cohesion column)'
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical Properties table, Triaxial Shear Strength, Cohesion (kPa) column
- benchmark: cohesion
label: Cohesion, average (shear strength reference)
value: 1
value_high: 2
bound: range
unit: kPa
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average and range as printed in the users guide; reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015
region: Low-Ti mare
method: Average printed in the users guide shear strength table, BP-1 row (C avg column, range 0-2.0)
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 19 (Lunar simulant shear strength values), BP-1 row, C (kPa) columns
- benchmark: friction_angle
label: Friction angle, range
value: 39
value_high: 51
bound: range
unit: °
scope: material
conditions:
test: triaxial shear strength, as cited on the ARES page to Suescun-Florez et al. 2015
method: 'Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Triaxial: Shear Strength, Friction Angle column)'
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Geomechanical Properties table, Triaxial Shear Strength, Friction Angle (°) column
- benchmark: friction_angle
label: Friction angle, average
value: 45
value_high: 51
bound: range
unit: °
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average and range as printed in the users guide; reference Suescun-Flores et al. 2015
region: Low-Ti mare
method: Average printed in the users guide shear strength table, BP-1 row (phi avg column, range 39.0-51.0)
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 19 (Lunar simulant shear strength values), BP-1 row, phi (degrees) columns
- benchmark: particle_size_range
label: Particle size range
value: 1
value_high: 10000
bound: range
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range printed on the ARES page, General Properties table
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (General Properties, Particle Size Range column, printed as 1 - 10,000)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: General Properties table, Particle Size Range (µm) column
- benchmark: mean_particle_size
label: Mean particle size
value: 100
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: mean printed on the ARES page, General Properties table
method: Value printed on the ARES BP-1 page (General Properties, Mean Particle Size column)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: General Properties table, Mean Particle Size (µm) column
- benchmark: particle_size_q25
label: Particle size, 25th quartile (Q25)
value: 36.4
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average Q25 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)
region: Low-Ti mare
method: Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 10 (Lunar regolith simulant PSD), BP-1 row, Q25 column
- benchmark: median_particle_size_d50
label: Particle size, median (Q50)
value: 88.4
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average Q50 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)
region: Low-Ti mare
method: Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 10 (Lunar regolith simulant PSD), BP-1 row, Q50 column
- benchmark: particle_size_q75
label: Particle size, 75th quartile (Q75)
value: 205
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average Q75 of % passing grains, as printed in the users guide; reference Clark 2021 (JSC-ARES)
region: Low-Ti mare
method: Value printed in the users guide particle size table, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 10 (Lunar regolith simulant PSD), BP-1 row, Q75 column
- benchmark: aspect_ratio
label: Particle aspect ratio (image analysis)
value: 0.67
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: bulk value from SDL 2022 (JSC-ARES) particle images, as printed in the users guide
method: Value printed in the users guide particle geometry table, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 13 (Lunar regolith simulant particle geometry), BP-1 row, AR column
- benchmark: sqrt_form_factor
label: Root form factor (image analysis)
value: 0.93
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: bulk value from SDL 2022 (JSC-ARES) particle images, as printed in the users guide
method: Value printed in the users guide particle geometry table, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 13 (Lunar regolith simulant particle geometry), BP-1 row, root FF column
- benchmark: sio2
label: Silicon dioxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 44
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five 1-ton lots (Bag All)
sample: BP-1 bulk
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), SiO2 row, Bag All column
- benchmark: al2o3
label: Aluminium oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 17
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All)
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), Al2O3 row, Bag All column
- benchmark: cao
label: Calcium oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 14
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All); the authors link high CaO to secondary minerals
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), CaO row, Bag All column
- benchmark: mgo
label: Magnesium oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 8
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All)
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), MgO row, Bag All column
- benchmark: fe2o3
label: Iron(III) oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 11
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All)
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), Fe2O3 row, Bag All column
- benchmark: na2o
label: Sodium oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 3
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All)
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), Na2O row, Bag All column
- benchmark: k2o
label: Potassium oxide (average of 5 bags)
value: 0
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: whole-rock XRF, average of five lots (Bag All). The USGS sample W172158 in Table 1 gives 1.1 wt%, a conflict recorded in gaps
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRF table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 3 (XRF analyses of BP-1 splits), K2O row, Bag All column
- benchmark: labradorite
label: Labradorite (plagioclase), bulk XRD
value: 60.7
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 4 (XRD of bulk BP-1 simulant), Labradorite row
- benchmark: augite
label: Augite (pyroxene), bulk XRD
value: 23.7
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 4 (XRD of bulk BP-1 simulant), Augite row
- benchmark: olivine
label: Olivine, bulk XRD
value: 6.2
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: preliminary XRD of a bulk simulant sample, labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD table for bulk BP-1; ARES prints the same value
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 4 (XRD of bulk BP-1 simulant), Olivine row
- benchmark: halite
label: Halite (NaCl), range printed on ARES
value: 1
value_high: 5
bound: range
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range given in the ARES use notes; Stoeser et al. 2010 Table 5 gives 1 to 5 wt% across the five bags
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Recommendation section, Drilling and Human Health rows)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Drilling row (halite 1-5 wt.%)
- benchmark: bassanite
label: Bassanite (CaSO4 0.5 H2O), range printed on ARES
value: 1
value_high: 3
bound: range
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: range given in the ARES use notes. Stoeser et al. 2010 Table 5 shows bag 4 at 4 wt%, outside this range; recorded in gaps
method: Range printed on the ARES BP-1 page (Recommendation section, Drilling row)
status: ground
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Drilling row (bassanite 1-3 wt.%)
- benchmark: halite
label: Halite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags
value: 1
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: XRD of <10-µm splits, Bag All column; the salt was confirmed by washing with distilled water
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD summary table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 5 (XRD summary table for <10-µm splits of BP-1), Halite row, Bag All
- benchmark: bassanite
label: Bassanite, sieved <10 µm splits, all bags
value: 2
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: XRD of <10-µm splits, Bag All column; individual bags range 0 to 4 wt%
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 XRD summary table, Bag All column
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Table 5 (XRD summary table for <10-µm splits of BP-1), Bassanite row, Bag All
- benchmark: cristobalite
label: Cristobalite, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags
value: 0.57
value_high: 2.9
bound: range
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: 10 one-ton bags sampled by the Kennedy Space Center industrial hygiene office, NIOSH 7500 method by XRD; the authors call these values highly improbable for this rock
method: Range printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 health section, quoting the IHO report
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 5 (Health), second paragraph
- benchmark: quartz
label: Quartz, NIOSH 7500 XRD of 10 bags (upper value)
value: 2.3
bound: upper
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: up to this value across 10 one-ton bags, NIOSH 7500 method by XRD; the authors say the quartz in the feedstock is secondary
method: Value printed in the Stoeser et al. 2010 health section, quoting the IHO report
status: ground
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 5 (Health), second paragraph
- benchmark: crystalline_silica_total
label: Total crystalline silica, 2010 analysis
value: 1.89
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: analysis symbol printed as ¤ (2010) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read
method: Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row
status: ground
note: Disagrees with the 2022 and 2023 rows (0.36 and 0.52 wt%). Both values are printed; neither is preferred.
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25 (Summary of total percent crystalline and respirable silica), BP-1 row, 2010 analysis
- benchmark: crystalline_silica_total
label: Total crystalline silica, 2022 analysis
value: 0.36
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: analysis symbol printed as ‡ (2022) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read
method: Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25 (Summary of total percent crystalline and respirable silica), BP-1 row, 2022 analysis
- benchmark: crystalline_silica_total
label: Total crystalline silica, 2023 analysis
value: 0.52
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: analysis symbol printed as § (2023) in the users guide; the symbol key is not in the text read
method: Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25 (Summary of total percent crystalline and respirable silica), BP-1 row, 2023 analysis
- benchmark: respirable_fraction_under_10um
label: Percent passing under 10 µm, respirable fraction
value: 11.5
unit: '%'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: 2023 analysis as printed in the users guide
method: Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 2023 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25 (Summary of total percent crystalline and respirable silica), BP-1 2023 row, percent passing under 10 µm
- benchmark: respirable_crystalline_silica
label: Respirable crystalline silica, 2023 analysis
value: 0.06
unit: wt%
scope: material
conditions:
basis: total respirable crystalline silica, 2023 analysis as printed in the users guide
method: Value printed in the users guide crystalline silica summary, BP-1 2023 row
status: ground
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25 (Summary of total percent crystalline and respirable silica), BP-1 2023 row, total respirable crystalline silica column
- benchmark: aspect_ratio
label: Particle aspect ratio, average (Dotson et al. 2024)
value: 0.654
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: average aspect ratio (a) from image analysis of particles on an optical microscope, CILAS-1190 with 40x objective, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2
method: Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, a column
status: ground
source: dotson-2024
where: Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, a column
- benchmark: sphericity
label: Particle sphericity (Dotson et al. 2024)
value: 0.528
unit: '-'
scope: material
conditions:
basis: image analysis as for aspect ratio, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2
method: Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, s column
status: ground
source: dotson-2024
where: Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, s column
- benchmark: equivalent_circular_diameter
label: Equivalent circular diameter, average (xECD)
value: 27.56
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: image analysis as for aspect ratio, per Dotson et al. 2024 section 2.2
method: Value printed in Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, xECD column
status: ground
source: dotson-2024
where: Table 2 (Measured particle shapes), BP-1 row, xECD column
- benchmark: median_particle_size_d50
label: Particle size D50 (Dotson et al. 2024)
value: 228.91
unit: µm
scope: material
conditions:
basis: D50 from the particle size distribution printed in Table 3; differs from the users guide Q50 of 88.4 µm, and both are recorded
method: Value printed in Table 3 (Particle Size Distributions), BP-1 row, D50 column
status: ground
source: dotson-2024
where: Table 3 (Particle Size Distributions), BP-1 row, D50 column
corrosion:
- environment: Hydrated mixture with ice (ice-regolith tests)
headline: Halite and bassanite may change chemical reactivity when BP-1 is mixed with ice.
effect: ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for drilling when hydrated. It says the presence of halite (1-5 wt.%) and bassanite (1-3 wt.%) may affect studies with ice regolith mix because of changes in chemical reactivity.
rating: unknown
conditions:
basis: ARES use note; no test on BP-1 is cited
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Drilling row (potentially suitable, hydrated)
- environment: Oxygen extraction and metal production (volatiles and reactions with hardware)
headline: Chlorine from halite and sulfur from bassanite can contaminate oxygen extraction products and react with hardware.
effect: ARES says that Cl from halite and S from bassanite raise potential problems for volatiles processing and oxygen extraction, including reactivity, contamination of products and reactions with hardware. It says calcite may cause unwanted reactions in metal production. ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable with caution for both.
rating: unknown
conditions:
basis: ARES recommendation text; no BP-1 extraction test is cited
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Oxygen Production and Metal Production rows
- environment: Natural weathering of the source basalt
headline: Calcite and quartz in BP-1 are secondary minerals made by weathering or alteration of the basalt, not primary minerals.
effect: Stoeser et al. (2010) say calcite and quartz are not primary minerals and derive from weathering or alteration of the original basalt. Calcite ranges from 9 wt% to nil between bags, and olivine varies between bags, which the authors call probably real. Total secondary minerals in the under-10 mm splits are printed as 9 to 24 per cent.
rating: unknown
conditions:
basis: XRD of bulk and sieved splits; the bulk XRD is labelled preliminary and unverified by the authors
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 3 (Mineralogy), Table 5 and text below it
risks:
hazards:
- text: The users guide prints total crystalline silica for BP-1 as 1.89 wt% in a 2010 row, 0.36 wt% in a 2022 row and 0.52 wt% in a 2023 row. The 2023 row also prints a respirable fraction (under 10 µm) of 11.5 per cent and total respirable crystalline silica of 0.06 wt%. The three totals disagree, and the analysis symbols are not defined in the text read.
ghs: []
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 25, BP-1 rows
- text: Stoeser et al. (2010) quote an industrial hygiene evaluation of ten one-ton bags of BP-1. NIOSH 7500 XRD found 0.57 to 2.9 wt% cristobalite and up to 2.3 wt% quartz in every bag. The authors say the cristobalite values are highly improbable for this source rock, because cristobalite forms only at very high temperature.
ghs: []
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 5 (Health), second and third paragraphs
- text: In a November 2023 test, moving BP-1 from bulk containers over 71 minutes gave a crystalline silica 8-hour TWA result below 5.22 µg/m3 and a respirable PNOR 8-hour TWA of 0.09 mg/m3. The guide gives these as Simulant Development Lab results.
ghs: []
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 26 (Silica and PNOR monitoring in the Simulant Development Lab), row Transfer of BP-1 from bulk containers, November 2023
- text: 'The users guide lists the OSHA limits used at NASA: crystalline silica at 50 µg/m3 as an 8-hour TWA, and respirable particulates not otherwise regulated (PNOR) at 5 mg/m3 as an 8-hour TWA.'
ghs: []
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit list, immediately before Section 5.9
- text: Stoeser et al. (2010) say that the abundance of fine particles is certainly a concern for health applications should they become airborne.
ghs: []
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 4 (Particle size), closing paragraph
- text: 'The file that the ARES BP-1 page links as BP-1_SDS.pdf is a Rinker Materials safety data sheet for generic aggregate products (MSDS #0001, revision 2, effective August 1, 2001). It does not name BP-1, so its statements are general. It says that respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, is a cancer hazard when inhaled, and that aggregates may contain more than 0.1% crystalline silica.'
ghs: []
source: rinker-msds
where: Sections II and VI
- text: PubChem silica record (CID 24261) lists cristobalite notifications to ECHA and NITE-CMC with H350 May cause cancer and H372 Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure, signal word Danger, health hazard pictogram. The aggregated top-level silica entry reads Not Classified. These statements are for cristobalite, which Stoeser et al. report in BP-1 by NIOSH 7500 XRD. No source read gives a GHS classification for the BP-1 material itself.
ghs:
- H350
- H372
source: pubchem-silica
where: GHS Classification, Cristobalite (EC 238-455-4) and NITE-CMC Cristobalite (FY2015) notifications
- text: The 2019 University of Cape Town dissertation on sintered BP-1 says that human exposure to BP-1 can affect the respiratory organs and cause acute silicosis, and that BP-1 is very reactive with acid and with oxidising agents. It gives no exposure measurement and no test reference for these statements.
ghs: []
source: uct-thesis-2019
where: Chapter One (Introduction), handling paragraphs
- text: OSHA annotated Table Z-3 gives respirable quartz as 250 (%SiO2+5) mppcf and 10 mg/m3 (%SiO2+2), formulas in percent SiO2 rather than a fixed number. Footnote (l) says these Z-3 entries apply only where the respirable crystalline silica standard 1910.1053 is stayed or otherwise not in effect. The 50 µg/m3 limit in the users guide is a separate entry and is kept as printed there.
ghs: []
source: osha-z3
where: Annotated Table Z-3 Mineral Dusts, Silica crystalline, Quartz (Respirable) row and footnote (l)
failure_risks:
- mode: Over-compaction of the simulant
trigger: Compacting BP-1 in excavation and soil-bin tests
consequence: ARES says care must be taken to avoid over compaction compared with lunar regolith, so a compacted bed can behave unlike the Moon.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Excavation / Flow row
- mode: Altered dust behavior from weathered minerals
trigger: Use in human health or dust studies
consequence: ARES says the presence of weathered minerals may alter dust behavior with other materials when compared with lunar fines. It prints secondary minerals as 9-24% in samples under 10 µm.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Human Health Studies row
- mode: Shipment-to-shipment and bag-to-bag mineral variation
trigger: Using a new shipment or sample without checking
consequence: ARES says plagioclase and olivine amounts vary greatly between whole shipments and samples of fines, and should be verified before use. Stoeser et al. report calcite from 9 wt% to nil between bags.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Oxygen Production row
side_effects:
- text: ARES says Cl from halite and S from bassanite may cause problems for volatiles processing and oxygen extraction, including contamination of products and reactions with hardware.
affects: Oxygen extraction products and process hardware
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Oxygen Production row
handling:
- text: The users guide says the JSC Simulant Development Lab maintains a safety data sheet for every simulant. Request the BP-1 sheet from that lab, because no BP-1-specific sheet was read in this run.
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Section 5.9.1 (Johnson Space Center and SDL requirements)
- text: The Kennedy Space Center industrial hygiene office recommended, for the BP-1 sandbox trial, that non-essential people be kept out of the area, that a decontamination area with a HEPA vacuum be used for equipment, and that hand-wash and eye-wash facilities be provided.
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 5 (Health), recommendations paragraph
- text: The generic aggregate sheet advises cleaning up spilled dust with vacuuming, wet mopping or moistening with water, so that dust does not go airborne. This is general aggregate advice, not a BP-1 instruction.
source: rinker-msds
where: Section VII (Steps to be taken in case material is released or spilled)
mitigations:
- text: The users guide says exposure monitoring is the only method to determine occupational exposure to crystalline silica. It reports that all JSC exposures to date were below the OSHA PEL and Action Level for crystalline silica. This covers all simulant tasks at JSC, not BP-1 alone.
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Section 5.8 (Workplace Monitoring)
- text: The industrial hygiene office recommended personal protective equipment and controls until exposure measurements could be made. For test judges, it said respiratory protection must comply with OSHA Respiratory Standard 1910.134, including medical certification, fit testing and training.
source: stoeser-2010
where: Section 5 (Health), recommendations and quoted report
uses:
- application: rovers-and-surface-systems
device: Excavation and flow tests
example: ARES rates BP-1 recommended for excavation and flow. Its particle size distribution and angular, elongated grains produce a high angle of repose in large piles.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Excavation / Flow row; Geomechanical Properties table, Angle of Repose column
- application: rovers-and-surface-systems
device: Excavation, construction and surface mobility projects
example: The users guide says BP-1's pebble- and cobble-sized rock mixed with finer particles makes it a good physical simulant for excavation, construction and surface mobility technology projects.
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Section 3.4 (Lunar Regolith Simulants for NASA's Constellation Program), BP-1 paragraph
- application: structures
device: Construction materials tests
example: ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for construction, citing adequate grain size, shape, distribution and basaltic mineralogy, and notes that calcite may affect reactivity with other components.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Construction row
- application: mechanisms
device: Dry drilling and abrasion tests
example: ARES rates BP-1 recommended for dry drilling and for abrasion and wear, because its angular elongated grains and particle size distribution make an abrasive material with adequate mineralogy.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Drilling (Dry) and Abrasion / Wear rows
- application: habitats-and-suits
device: Dust mitigation for habitats (test material)
example: ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for dust mitigation in habitats, because it has adequate fines, particle size distribution and grain shapes, but weathered minerals may alter its dust behavior compared with lunar fines.
source: ares-bp1
where: Recommendation section, Human Health Studies row
supply:
- subject: BP-1 quarry waste
abundance: Not stated in any source read. ARES gives no tonnage or producer share.
producers: []
origin: BP-1 is silt-sized washing waste from an aggregate (road metal) quarry on the northern margin of the Black Point basalt flow, towards the west end. The flow is about 60 miles (100 km) NNE of Flagstaff, AZ, in the San Francisco Volcanic Field of northern Arizona. ARES says it was collected from quarry washing waste and was not processed or modified after collection.
status: Stoeser et al. say the quarry wash water probably comes from a saline aquifer. Because the water is reused, dissolved salts concentrate and precipitate halite and bassanite.
source: stoeser-2010
where: Introduction (feedstock paragraph); Section 3 (Mineralogy), text on halite and bassanite
- subject: BP-1 holder and sampling
abundance: Not stated.
producers: []
origin: The users guide lists BP-1 as a Low-Ti mare simulant with its source as NASA KSC. Stoeser et al. say that samples from five different 1-ton lots were taken for analysis.
source: nasa-guide-2024
where: Table 2 (List of simulants assessed with corresponding lunar region and source), BP-1 row
media: []
documents:
- title: NASA ARES, BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant project page
type: database
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/bp-1.html
- title: NASA/TM-20240011783, Lunar Regolith Simulant User's Guide, Revision A
type: report
url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20240011783/downloads/Lunar_Regolith_Simulant_Users_Guide_Rev_A_28OCT.pdf
year: 2024
- title: NASA/TM-2010-216444, Preliminary Geological Findings on the BP-1 Simulant (Stoeser, Rickman and Wilson)
type: report
url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100036344/downloads/20100036344.pdf
year: 2010
- title: Material Safety Data Sheet for Aggregate Products, Rinker Materials (linked from the ARES BP-1 page as BP-1_SDS.pdf; generic, not BP-1 specific)
type: sds
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/_resources/BP-1_SDS.pdf
year: 2001
- title: Dotson et al. 2024, Cohesion and Shear Strength of Compacted Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants (arXiv 2403.11029)
type: paper
url: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.11029
year: 2024
- title: Ogunyinka 2019, Investigation of Material Properties of Sintered Black Point-1 Lunar Regolith Simulant (University of Cape Town MPhil dissertation)
type: report
url: https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/ead778a3-7849-4fc1-9289-f09448b8c30b/content
year: 2019
- title: PubChem compound record CID 24261 (Silica), GHS Classification
type: database
url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/24261/JSON?heading=GHS+Classification
- title: OSHA Annotated Table Z-3, Mineral Dusts
type: standard
url: https://www.osha.gov/annotated-pels/table-z-3
gaps:
- No BP-1-specific safety data sheet was found. The file the ARES page links as BP-1_SDS.pdf is a generic aggregate sheet from Rinker Materials, so the BP-1 hazard entries rest on the users guide and on Stoeser et al. 2010.
- 'Angle of repose: ARES gives only a qualitative description (high angle of repose in large piles), with no number.'
- 'Grain density and porosity: not printed. ARES gives specific gravity and void ratio only.'
- 'Uniaxial Young''s modulus and uniaxial tensile strength: printed as dashes on the ARES page.'
- 'Agglutinate and glass content: not printed by ARES or Stoeser et al. The users guide table for BP-1 was garbled in text extraction, so no value is recorded.'
- 'Thermophysical properties: ARES says they are not yet characterized, and the simulant development lab analytical results are printed as Pending analyses.'
- 'Source conflicts, recorded side by side and not resolved: K2O is 0 wt% in the five-bag average (Stoeser Table 3) but 1.1 wt% in USGS sample W172158 (Stoeser Table 1). Bassanite is 1 to 3 wt% on the ARES page but 4 wt% in bag 4 of Stoeser Table 5. Total secondary minerals are printed as 9 to 24 per cent in Stoeser''s text, while Table 5 gives 8 to 24 across the bags. Quartz is 1 to 2 wt% on ARES, 1.7 wt% in the bulk XRD and 3 wt% in the sieved splits. Total crystalline silica is 1.89, 0.36 and 0.52 wt% in three users guide rows.'
- Halite is 1 to 5 wt% on ARES and 1 wt% in the Bag All sieved split of Stoeser Table 5. Both are recorded.
- The users guide defines no key for the analysis symbols (¤, ‡, §) in Table 25. The source of each total silica value is therefore not confirmed.
- 'Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 and Rahmatian and Metzger 2010 are cited for several values. Their papers were not opened: the ASCE page for Suescun-Florez returned a bot-check page. Values from those studies are attributed through the ARES and users guide pages that print them.'
- 'Supplier and production shares: BP-1 is not commercially made and no supply shares apply. Critical-mineral lists (USGS, EU) were not checked for this profile.'
- Corrosion and reactivity ratings are not given by any source, so each is recorded as unknown.
- 'Lunar-day, lunar-night, vacuum, thermal-cycling and radiation behavior: no source read in this run tests BP-1 under those conditions, so tags.environments and tags.stresses are empty.'
- The UCF Planetary Simulant Database page linked from ARES (simulantdb.com) returned unrelated content, so its fidelity rating is not used. ARES itself labels BP-1 as basic fidelity under that database's guidelines.
- 'Property names not in spores/property-canon.yaml: equivalent_circular_diameter, sphericity, bulk_density, specific_gravity, void_ratio, hardness, cohesion, friction_angle, particle_size_range, mean_particle_size, particle_size_q25, particle_size_q75, relative_max_density, relative_min_density, aspect_ratio, sqrt_form_factor, sio2, al2o3, cao, mgo, fe2o3, na2o, k2o, labradorite, augite, olivine, halite, bassanite, cristobalite, quartz, crystalline_silica_total, respirable_fraction_under_10um and respirable_crystalline_silica. Names follow the existing lunar-regolith-simulant profile where one exists.'
- 'Sources: eight are now opened and cited: the ARES page, the users guide, Stoeser et al. 2010, the linked SDS, Dotson et al. 2024 (arXiv), the Ogunyinka 2019 dissertation, the PubChem silica record and OSHA Table Z-3. Still not reached: Suescun-Florez et al. 2015 (its ASCE page gave no full text here, and a web search returned only the abstract, so no value is taken from it) and the UCF simulant database page.'
- 'Specific gravity conflict, recorded and not entered: the Ogunyinka 2019 dissertation says "The specific gravity of BP-1 lies within the range of 2.45-2.80", cites Eduardo et al. 2014, and prints no unit. ARES gives 2.81 g/cm3. The range is not entered as a property because no unit is printed.'
- 'Particle size D50 conflict, both recorded: Dotson et al. 2024 Table 3 prints 228.91 µm, and the users guide Q50 is 88.4 µm. The measurement method behind the Dotson value was not read in this run.'
- 'Aspect ratio conflict, both recorded: Dotson et al. 2024 Table 2 prints 0.654 for BP-1, and the users guide prints 0.67 for BP-1 (SDL 2022 images).'
sources:
ares-bp1:
title: BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant, NASA ARES Simulants project page
id: NASA Exploration Research and Simulation (ARES), JSC simulants project
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/bp-1.html
kind: web
license: NASA web page, public information; licence not stated on the page read
nasa-guide-2024:
title: Lunar Regolith Simulant User's Guide, Revision A
id: NASA/TM-20240011783, effective 10/24/2024 (NTRS 20240011783)
url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20240011783/downloads/Lunar_Regolith_Simulant_Users_Guide_Rev_A_28OCT.pdf
year: 2024
kind: report
license: NASA public document; licence not stated in the copy read
stoeser-2010:
title: Preliminary Geological Findings on the BP-1 Simulant (Stoeser, Rickman and Wilson, NASA technical memorandum)
id: NASA/TM-2010-216444; NTRS 20100036344; report number M-1293
url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100036344/downloads/20100036344.pdf
year: 2010
kind: report
license: NASA public document; licence not stated in the copy read
rinker-msds:
title: 'Material Safety Data Sheet for Aggregate Products, Rinker Materials Corporation (MSDS #0001, revision 2)'
id: Effective August 1, 2001; linked from the ARES BP-1 page
url: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/simulants/_resources/BP-1_SDS.pdf
year: 2001
kind: datasheet
license: Supplier document, linked not reproduced. Generic aggregate sheet, not specific to BP-1
dotson-2024:
title: Cohesion and Shear Strength of Compacted Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants
id: arXiv 2403.11029; B. Dotson, D. Sanchez Valencia, C. Millwater, P. Easter, J. Long-Fox, D. Britt and P. Metzger (University of Central Florida)
url: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.11029
year: 2024
kind: paper
license: arXiv preprint; licence not stated in the copy read
uct-thesis-2019:
title: Investigation of Material Properties of Sintered Black Point-1 Lunar Regolith Simulant (MPhil dissertation, Adebayo Olutumbi Ogunyinka)
id: University of Cape Town, SpaceLab, SL19-010M, September 2019
url: https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/ead778a3-7849-4fc1-9289-f09448b8c30b/content
year: 2019
kind: paper
license: University of Cape Town thesis; the title page limits use to private study or non-commercial research
pubchem-silica:
title: PubChem compound record CID 24261 (Silica), Safety and Hazards, GHS Classification
id: PubChem CID 24261 (Silica); GHS notifications from ECHA and NITE-CMC
url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/24261/JSON?heading=GHS+Classification
kind: database
license: PubChem data, public
osha-z3:
title: OSHA Annotated Table Z-3, Mineral Dusts
id: OSHA annotated PEL tables, Table Z-3
url: https://www.osha.gov/annotated-pels/table-z-3
kind: standard
license: US government public information
license: CC-BY-4.0
updated: '2026-11-01'
review:
status: draft
method: assistant
checked_values: 42
unreachable: 2
caveats: 4
note: 'Written by an AI assistant on 2026-11-01 and deepened in a second pass the same day. Documents opened: the ARES BP-1 page (raw HTML, compared with a summarising fetch), the NASA/TM-20240011783 users guide (PDF text), NASA/TM-2010-216444 by Stoeser et al. (PDF text), the linked BP-1_SDS.pdf (a generic aggregate sheet), the Dotson et al. 2024 arXiv paper (PDF text), the Ogunyinka 2019 UCT dissertation (PDF text), the PubChem silica GHS record (CID 24261) and the OSHA annotated Table Z-3 page. Unreachable: the Suescun-Florez 2015 paper (ASCE page gave no full text) and the UCF simulant database page (returned unrelated content). The Rahmatian and Metzger 2010 paper was not found.'
story:
recipe:
line: BP-1 is not one compound. It is crushed basalt from the Black Point lava flow, made mostly of labradorite plagioclase feldspar and augite pyroxene by weight, with smaller amounts of olivine, magnetite, and secondary halite and bassanite. Its chemistry is given as oxides, not as a formula. ARES says it was not processed or modified after collection from the quarry washing waste.
parts:
- name: Labradorite (plagioclase feldspar)
symbol: '-'
share: 60.7 wt% in bulk XRD
role: The main mineral. Stoeser et al. say plagioclase is much more abundant in the whole sample than in the sieved splits.
- name: Augite (pyroxene)
symbol: '-'
share: 23.7 wt% in bulk XRD
role: The main mafic mineral after plagioclase, from the original basalt.
- name: Olivine
symbol: '-'
share: 6.2 wt% in bulk XRD
role: Varies between bags of the same material, which the authors call probably real.
- name: Silicon dioxide (average)
symbol: SiO2
share: 44 wt%
role: Average silica of the five 1-ton lots. Silica in the BP-1 feedstock is mostly secondary, not primary (Stoeser et al.).
risk_groups:
- title: For people
verdict: Dust is the main concern. Crystalline silica was measured…
lead: No source read here classifies BP-1 as hazardous. It contains crystalline silica in measured amounts and produces fine dust. The BP-1-specific safety data sheet was not found; the file linked from ARES is a generic aggregate sheet.
points:
- label: Crystalline silica
line: The users guide prints total crystalline silica of 1.89 wt% for a 2010 analysis, 0.36 wt% for 2022 and 0.52 wt% for 2023. The 2023 row gives a respirable fraction of 11.5% and respirable crystalline silica of 0.06 wt%. The three totals disagree, and the guide does not define its analysis symbols in the text read.
- label: Cristobalite and quartz
line: Stoeser et al. (2010) quote an industrial hygiene evaluation of ten 1-ton bags. NIOSH 7500 XRD found 0.57 to 2.9 wt% cristobalite and up to 2.3 wt% quartz in every bag. The authors call the cristobalite values highly improbable for this source rock.
- label: Fine particles
line: Stoeser et al. say the abundance of fine particles is a concern for health if they become airborne.
- label: Measured exposure
line: In a November 2023 test, moving BP-1 from bulk containers for 71 minutes gave a crystalline silica 8-hour TWA result below 5.22 µg/m3 and a respirable PNOR 8-hour TWA of 0.09 mg/m3.
- label: Limits
line: The users guide lists OSHA limits of 50 µg/m3 for crystalline silica and 5 mg/m3 for respirable PNOR, both as 8-hour TWA values.
- title: For a rover or test bed
lead: Chemistry and dust matter for test beds and oxygen work, not only for people.
points:
- label: Salts and reactivity
line: ARES says halite (1 to 5 wt%) and bassanite (1 to 3 wt%) may change chemical reactivity in ice-regolith mixes, and may cause problems for oxygen extraction.
- label: Batch variation
line: ARES says plagioclase and olivine vary greatly between shipments, so each shipment should be checked before use.
- label: Over-compaction
line: ARES says care must be taken to avoid over compaction compared with lunar regolith.
- title: Handling and storage
points:
- label: Records
line: The users guide says the JSC Simulant Development Lab keeps a safety data sheet for every simulant. Request the BP-1 sheet from that lab before use.
- label: Controls
line: The industrial hygiene office recommended keeping non-essential people out of the area, a decontamination area with a HEPA vacuum for equipment, and hand-wash and eye-wash facilities for the BP-1 sandbox trial.
- label: Cleanup
line: The generic aggregate sheet advises vacuuming, wet mopping or moistening with water to avoid airborne dust. This is general aggregate advice, not a BP-1 instruction.
why: BP-1 is a lunar mare simulant that was not made to copy lunar chemistry. It is crushed basalt waste from a road-metal quarry in northern Arizona, and it was discovered during a Desert RATS analog test. The users guide says it is attractive because it has pebble- and cobble-sized rock mixed with finer particles, which suits excavation, construction and surface mobility work. Stoeser et al. note that its alkali content is high for a lunar basalt, so it is not suited to tests where composition is critical.
uses:
- where: Excavation and flow
line: ARES rates BP-1 recommended for excavation and flow. Its particle size distribution and angular, elongated grains produce a high angle of repose in large piles.
- where: Surface mobility and construction
line: The users guide says BP-1's pebbles and cobbles make it a good physical simulant for excavation, construction and surface mobility technology projects. ARES rates it potentially suitable for construction, with a caution about calcite.
- where: Drilling and abrasion
line: ARES rates BP-1 recommended for dry drilling and for abrasion and wear, because its angular grains are abrasive and its mineralogy is adequate.
- where: Dust mitigation for habitats
line: ARES rates BP-1 potentially suitable for dust mitigation in habitats, but says weathered minerals may alter its dust behavior compared with lunar fines.
can_do:
- label: Grain size
benchmark: particle_size_range
value: 1 to 10,000 µm
line: Particle sizes run from 1 to 10,000 µm, with a mean of 100 µm (ARES). Stoeser et al. describe a large share of particles in a narrow range, plus both fine and coarse particles.
- label: Grain shape
benchmark: aspect_ratio
value: '0.67'
line: ARES describes the particles as irregular and angular. The users guide gives an aspect ratio of 0.67 and a root form factor of 0.93 for BP-1, from SDL 2022 images.
- label: Density
benchmark: bulk_density
value: 1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3
line: Bulk density is 1.5 to 1.6 g/cm3 (ARES, citing Rahmatian and Metzger 2010). The users guide gives a relative maximum density of 1.86 g/cm3 and a relative minimum of 1.43 g/cm3, both from Suescun-Florez et al. 2015.
- label: Strength
benchmark: friction_angle
value: 39 to 51 degrees
line: Triaxial cohesion is 0 to 2.0 kPa and friction angle is 39 to 51 degrees (ARES). The users guide gives an average friction angle of 45 degrees for the same reference.
- label: Silica
benchmark: crystalline_silica_total
value: '0.52'
line: Total crystalline silica is 0.52 wt% in the 2023 analysis and 1.89 wt% in the 2010 analysis, as printed in the users guide. The two are not reconciled.
compare: BP-1 is a basalt rubble for ground tests, not a copy of lunar mare chemistry. Stoeser et al. say its high alkali content, relative to lunar basalts, may rule it out where composition is critical, but that this has nothing to do with its behavior as a geotechnical material. ARES says its particle size falls within one standard deviation of the lunar regolith range, and that its mechanical behavior in vibratory densification and shear tests is similar to lunar soil. ARES also lists its high plagioclase content, relative to lunar mare basalt, as a con. The table compares BP-1 with the same benchmarks used for other simulants in this collection.
compare_rows:
- label: Bulk density
benchmark: bulk_density
- label: Specific gravity
benchmark: specific_gravity
- label: Friction angle
benchmark: friction_angle
handling:
- Use a dust mask or respirator where dust forms, following the industrial hygiene controls above.
- Monitor exposure, because the users guide says monitoring is the only way to measure crystalline silica exposure in the workplace.
- Check each shipment for halite, bassanite and mineral changes before any test that depends on chemistry.
- Avoid compacting the bed more than lunar regolith would be compacted.
good_for:
- Excavation and flow tests, where the angular, broad particle size distribution gives a high angle of repose (ARES).
- Rover mobility and construction tests that need basalt rubble with pebbles and cobbles (users guide).
watch_out:
- 'Crystalline silica: 1.89 wt% in one 2010 analysis and 0.36 to 0.52 wt% in later rows. Cristobalite is 0.57 to 2.9 wt% in the 2010 industrial hygiene data.'
- 'Salts: halite and bassanite can change reactivity with ice and can affect oxygen extraction.'
- 'Composition: alkaline and plagioclase-rich, not lunar mare chemistry.'
- 'Variation: mineral content changes from bag to bag, so check each shipment.'
verdict: BP-1 is a physical simulant for excavation and surface mobility tests, not a chemistry match for the Moon. Its silica and salt content need controls, and no source read here tests it under vacuum or thermal conditions.
References
Every number above carries a reference number. Click one to see the source and where in it the value comes from.
| # | Source | Type | Year | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP-1 Black Point lunar mare simulant, NASA ARES Simulants project page | web | 20 values | ||
| Lunar Regolith Simulant User's Guide, Revision A | report | 2024 | 21 values | |
| Preliminary Geological Findings on the BP-1 Simulant (Stoeser, Rickman and Wilson, NASA technical memorandum) | report | 2010 | 21 values | |
| Material Safety Data Sheet for Aggregate Products, Rinker Materials Corporation (MSDS #0001, revision 2) | datasheet | 2001 | 2 values | |
| Cohesion and Shear Strength of Compacted Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants | paper | 2024 | 4 values | |
| Investigation of Material Properties of Sintered Black Point-1 Lunar Regolith Simulant (MPhil dissertation, Adebayo Olutumbi Ogunyinka) | paper | 2019 | 1 value | |
| PubChem compound record CID 24261 (Silica), Safety and Hazards, GHS Classification | database | 1 value | ||
| OSHA Annotated Table Z-3, Mineral Dusts | standard | 1 value |
Updated