{"id":122443,"date":"2022-03-11T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//?p=122443"},"modified":"2022-03-24T12:47:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T16:47:13","slug":"ucf-experimental-space-dirt-used-by-nasa-private-companies-to-advance-space-exploration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//ucf-experimental-space-dirt-used-by-nasa-private-companies-to-advance-space-exploration/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443//","title":{"rendered":"UCF Experimental Space Dirt Used by NASA, Private Companies to Advance Space Exploration"},"content":{"rendered":"

An ingenious idea born out of a research lab at the 色花堂 has led to a growing operation that is having a direct impact on space exploration./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

Chances are that some of the equipment landing on the moon and the methods that will be used to grow food or build shelter, will have been tested first on experimental soil developed right at UCF./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

UCF/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2019s Exolith Lab has produced and shipped 25 tons of simulated extraterrestrial soil so far this year. Customers include NASA and commercial companies domestically and around the globe, who are using the dirt to test equipment being developed for Moon, Mars, and asteroid missions. University researchers also are using the material to test strategies they are developing to address a variety of problems facing astronauts such as finding sustainable ways to grow food on other planets. Even K-12 schools are among the clients because they are using the material to provide students hands-on science experiences to increase interest in STEM./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201cIt certainly has grown since we started,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201d says Zoe Landsman /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201911 /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201917PhD, the chief scientist for the Lab who earned degrees at UCF in physics. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201cWe aren/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2019t the only ones doing this, but we are certainly the only university doing this at this scale./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

The first year the lab operated in 2018, less than half of ton of the experimental dirt was produced and shipped. In 2020, the lab produced 5 tons and halfway through 2021, the lab is almost at 25 tons, said director of operations, Anna Metke /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201919./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

The lab is completely self-sufficient thanks to the increase in demand. The lab charges from $35 to $55 a kilogram with some specialty variations costing $5 per ounce. Money is reinvested into the lab./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

Like Earth /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2014 which has sandy, rocky and clay regions /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2014 the moon, Mars and asteroids have various kinds of dirt. If an engineering team wants to test the tire design of a rover headed for moon/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2019s south pole, it would need /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201csofter/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u201d mock moon dirt based on the data available about the Moon, Landsman says. If they were targeting a different part of the moon, the soil would be different./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

The lab produces several kinds of simulant depending on the client/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/u2019s needs. There are more than 10 options available, and Landsman works with clients who need custom orders./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/122443/n

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