Keywords
SPARTA Toolkit; Cone Penetration Testing; Lunar Regolith Simulant; Bulk Density Calibration; In Situ Resource Utilization; Planetary Geotechnical Analysis
Abstract
This research investigates the use of the Soil Properties Assessment, Resistance, and Thermal Analysis (SPARTA) Cone Penetration Tester (CPT) to quantify bulk density in lunar regolith simulant LHS-1E. Twenty-five penetration tests were conducted across five density profiles to derive slope parameters (G), which represent the rate of increase in resistance with depth. Results showed a consistent, nonlinear relationship between G and bulk density, validating the use of G slope as a diagnostic parameter and supporting the primary hypothesis that SPARTA CPT measurements vary meaningfully with density. Compared to prior work by Lucas et al. (2024), G values from SPARTA were higher in magnitude but exhibited similar trends, with differences speculated to be due to SPARTA’s larger cone size and unique geometry, especially vertical shear vanes. However, further testing is needed to test the relationship between SPARTA’s geometry and regolith penetration resistance. Despite this, high R² values across all trials confirm that SPARTA can reliably characterize subsurface properties with minimal operational constraints. This study establishes a quantitative calibration model for translating SPARTA G slopes into density, enabling high-resolution in situ measurements of near-surface regolith critical for scientific exploration and in situ resource utilization (ISRU). These findings serve as a performance baseline for future test campaigns that will characterize the principal physical and chemical properties of regoliths, including thermal/electrical properties and chemical potentials of water and ice. Calibration methods developed here will be extended to future SPARTA designs for lunar, martian, and other planetary applications.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Britt, Daniel
College
College of Sciences
Department
Physics
Thesis Discipline
Planetary Science
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Glover, Abigail S., "Quantifying the Performance of the SPARTA Toolkit for Use in Planetary Regolith Characterization Missions" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 242.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/242
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