Zybek Lunar Simulant

 

ZAP currently provides the glass and agglutinate components for the NASA / USGS NU-LHT Series lunar simulants. The proprietary plasma technology provides 13,000 to 20,000 K temperatures with a rapid thermal gradient. This core plasma technology is applied the manufacturing of agglutinate, glass fragments, melt breccias and synthetic material. In addition to the simulant components, ZAP has developed means of fiberizing the LHT glass stream and producing re-crystallized lunar building bricks. All of the simulant components and building materials are available in multi-ton quantities.

plasma

Agglutinate Production

ZAP has a proven system for producing multi-ton quantities of agglutinate material (patent pending). The agglutinate can be produced with nano-size iron. Two different processed are used to integrate nano-sized iron into the agglutinate structure.

  • External elemental iron can be mixed in or internal elemental Fe generation can be forced. 
  • For the second process, Large thermal gradient (50,000°K/m) force particulate formation from gas prior to molecular recombination.  This has been demonstrated from parallel testing with NREL / University of Colorado. 
  • The agglutinate production process can completed in an oxygen-free environment.

Nano Process: Large thermal gradient (50,000°K/m) Force particulate formation from gas prior to molecular recombination Parallel testing with NREL / University of Colorado Same process from ZAP agglutinate production Plasmas use inert gas – can keep entire reactor oxygen free

ZAP / USGS furthered process in March 2008 Externally mixed ~50 nm Fe0 Internally produced Fe Interesting note: magnetic attraction of agglutinate particulates to the electrical components.

Lunar Glass

ZAP current production process can provide up to 15 ton of glass per month. The glass can be delivered in several forms: Cullet, Large Pieces and Spheres

 

Lunar Building Materials

Using the LHT glass stream, ZAP has developed means of producing potential lunar building materials. The two material types available are:

- Fiberglass from LHT material

fiberglass


- Re-crystallized bricks from LHT material

Building on the melt breccia work ZAP and the USGS have completed, bricks made from the LHT melt process are available.  Contact mike@zybekap.com for additional information.

Melt Breccias

Melt Breccias are formed by initial impact and re-agglomeration by later impacts.  ZAP uses re-crystallized LHT material and / or synthetic anorthite to create representative melt breccias up to 3 foot in diameter.

 

 

Re-crystallized Synthetic Materials

ZAP has created a process to produce synthetic materials.  Materials are brought to molten temperatures and allowed to fully react.  By controlling the thermal history, large cross sections of synthetic and re-crystallized materials are produced.

Several plagioclase and albite : anorthite materials have been re-crystallized into cross sections up to 36 inches in diameter.

synthetic1 synthetic2