Martian analog (MMS-2 XL)
Practical significance
The composition and ratios of the chemical compounds in the MMS-2 were adjusted so that the simulant is a more than 90% chemical match to the surface of Mars.
Origin
The MMS-2 (enhanced Mars Simulant) is made by The Martian Garden (themartiangarden.com) by adding Iron III Oxide, Magnesium Oxside, Sulfates, and Silicates to the Mojave Mars Simulant that was mined from the Saddleback Basalt at the Mojave desert.
Main constituent
Plagioclase
Particle size Mie: reff (μm)
18.02
Particle size Mie: veff
0.08
Particle size
20-40 micrometer narrow size distribution measured at the CSIC-IAA.
Size distribution plot:
Size distribution table
Particle shape
Irregular
Color
Red-brown
SEM/TEM images:
Reflectance Spectra Data
Reflectance Spectra Plot:
Refractive index
The imaginary parts of the refractive indices, k, we derived for the MMS-2 sample by using the model framework presented in Martikainen et al. 2023, ApJS, with GRS2 particle shapes.
The real part of the refractive index, n, was fixed to 1.5.
The uncertainties were computed by assuming a maximum error of 15% in the measured reflectance over the 200 to 2000 nm wavelength range.
Complex refractive indices
Angle range (deg)
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Reference/s