Characterization of Lunar Dust for Toxicological Studies. II: Texture and Shape Characteristics

Abstract

The morphology (shape and texture) of dust fractions of five Apollo lunar soils and a lunar dust simulant, JSC-1Avf, was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Shape (aspect ratio and complexity) of particles was described based on the two-dimensional projection images. The distributions of aspect ratio and complexity of particles are reported. It was determined that the Apollo lunar dust particles consist mainly of impact-produced glass, with complicated morphologies, extensive surface areas per grain, and sharp, jagged edges. Importantly, many grains contain elaborate vesicular textures, representing minute agglutinates. Dust simulant JSC-1Avf also has similar shapes as lunar dust, but differs in surface texture and area (smooth and nonvesicular). These data provide information for toxicity studies of lunar dust and for selecting a suitable lunar dust simulant.