Apollo 11 Simulant Samples w/ COA

Apollo 11 Simulant Samples w/ COA
Two samples of simulant lunar dust developed for the Apollo 11 lunar mission. Housed in protective plastic sleeves affixed to a certificate of authenticity.

During the Apollo program, the space suit's outer layer fabrics were badly abraded after just a few EVAS (extravehicular activities). For example, the Apollo 12 commander reported abrasive wear on the boots after less than 8 hours of surface operations. A test methodology was developed by NASA's Crew and Thermal Systems Division for establishing comparative abrasion wear between various space suite outer layer fabrics. The abrasion test used a custom designed large rotary drum tumbler with rocks and loose lunar simulant material. This device induced abrasion in fabrics-representative of what might occur during long term planetary surface EVAS.

Testing of this type was done to simulate both the Lunar surface and the Martian surface environments. "Simulant" as it was named, was resourced based on materials similar to what geologic research had determined the Lunar and Martian surfaces were like. The Lunar surface simulant was mined in Arizona's Black Point Lava Flow and the Martian simulant came from Puu Nene cinder cone located between the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes in Hawaii. Then the particulate was ground to the appropriate size and texture. Only small amounts of this original simulant remain today.
Each bag, height: 1 1/2 in x width: 1 1/2 in.
Condition: The specimens are in excellent condition. They are housed in a protective plastic bags that are affixed to the certificate. The certificate is in excellent condition with no visible issues.