From: "Eileen M. Bendixsen" <ebend@crow.cybercomm.net>
Subject: Re: Mars soil
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 20:38:59 GMT
A while back someone asked how to make the Mars soil. I know the question was also asked at the workshop this summer and I don't remember getting an answer either time. In preparing for my presentation at the NSTA conference in Toronto I came across this web page (http://web.mit.edu/gregrich/www/mars.html). It not only has an answer to our soil question, but explains how the mars landscape was built for the demonstration in Washington. I am including the description for soil. Eileen Bendixsen (NJ) Mars is covered with a brownish-red dirt. The best way to duplicate this dirt is to use some volcanic sand or volcanic gravel (difficult to locate unless you're near some volcanos. For this part of the terrain, we used a reddish clay dirt that we were able to find in a local gravel yard. This may be a difficult item to locate, so call around before you head out to pick up some red sand. When you go looking for volcanic sand (or any red sand), you can try to locate them in local home supply stores, landscaping supply stores, nurseries, gravel yards, or try looking in the yellow pages under "Sand". We found ours at Laurel Sand and Gravel in Laurel, Maryland [(301) 953-7650]. http://web.mit.edu/gregrich/www/mars.html