Sulfur “concrete” for lunar applications – Sublimation concerns

Melting sulfur and mixing it with an aggregate to form “concrete” is commercially well established and constitutes a material that is particularly well-suited for use in corrosive environments. Discovery of the mineral troilite (FeS) on the moon poses the question of extracting the sulfur for use as a lunar construction material. This would be an attractive alternative to conventional concrete as it does not require water. However, the viability of sulfur concrete in a lunar environment, which is characterized by lack of an atmosphere and extreme temperatures, is not well understood. Here it is assumed that the lunar ore can be mined, refined, and the raw sulfur melded with appropriate lunar regolith to form, for example, bricks. This study evaluates pure sulfur and two sets of small sulfur concrete samples that have been prepared using JSC-1 lunar stimulant and SiO₂ powder as aggregate additions. Each set was subjected to extended periods in a vacuum environment to evaluate sublimation issues. Results from these experiments are presented and discussed within the context of the lunar environment.     

Seasonal patterns of condensation and sublimation cycles in the cryptic and non-cryptic regions of the South Pole

The South Pole of Mars is characterized by an asymmetric residual ice cap composed of water ice and CO₂ ice. On the opposite side of the residual cap, there exists an area called cryptic region which is relatively free of ice during summer time. Many fan-shaped km-scale structures apparently caused by a wind-blown system of dust-laden gas jets occurred dozens degrees of Ls before the complete sublimation of the CO₂ frost layer. We have examined the seasonal cycles of condensation and sublimation in the cryptic and non-cryptic regions by using the topographic data from the MOLA/MGS measurements. Using the MOLA topography data collected over one Martian year (1999–2001), we have studied the temporal elevation change and the seasonal cycle of the carbon dioxide frost on the southern polar caps. We have produced mapping of the seasonal CO₂ frost thickness variation for seven Ls (30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°, 210°, 240°, 270° and 330°). It is found that the time variations of the CO₂ frost thickness in these two regions are quite similar. The greatest thickness of the CO₂ frost layer is about 0.76–0.78 m in both places occurs at Ls = 150°.