We maintain a curated database of peer-reviewed publications that reference or utilize our planetary regolith simulants. With more than 400 publications through 2026 and 14 SRT simulants represented, the database is designed to help researchers, engineers, and educators quickly locate relevant scientific literature without digging through citation indexes or guessing which simulant was used in a given study.
This guide walks you through how to access and get the most out of it.
Accessing the Database
The Research Database is available at spaceresourcetech.com/pages/publications. From our main website, navigate to the Resources menu in the top navigation bar and select Research Database.
The Landing Page
When you first open the database, you'll see two main sections at a glance: a count of the publications indexed through 2026, and the simulant products covered. Below that, the database splits into two tabs — Publications and Properties — each serving a different research need.
Publications Tab
The Publications tab is where you search and browse the full literature index. At the top you'll find a search bar that queries across titles, authors, keywords, and simulant names. Below it, three filters let you narrow results quickly:
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Simulant category: toggle between All, Lunar, Martian, or Asteroid
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All Products dropdown: select a specific simulant (e.g., LHS-1, MGS-1, LMS-1D) to see only papers that used that product
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All Applications dropdown: filter by research domain such as ISRU, geotechnical testing, dust mitigation, or additive manufacturing
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Sort: switch between By Year and Recent
Each result card shows the simulant category tag (e.g., LUNAR), paper title, authors, year, publisher, application tag (e.g., ISRU, LHS-1E), and expandable abstract and keywords. External links take you directly to the paper or its DOI.
AI Paper Match
One of the more useful features on the landing page is AI Paper Match. Instead of searching by keyword, you describe your project or research question in plain language; for example, "studying the geotechnical properties of lunar soil for drilling operations", and the tool surfaces the most relevant papers from our index. This is particularly helpful early in a project when you're not yet sure which simulant or application category to filter by.
Can't Find Your Paper?
At the bottom of the filter section, there's a "Can't find your paper? Submit it here" panel. Paste a DOI or paper URL and hit Fetch Info — the database will auto-populate the metadata fields so you can review and submit it for inclusion. If you've recently published work using one of our simulants and don't see it listed, this is the fastest way to get it added.
Properties Tab
The Properties tab is a separate tool from the publications index. It surfaces characterization data extracted directly from published literature — physical, mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, and mineralogical measurements across all of our simulants.
Use the search bar to query a specific property (e.g., "bulk density" or "SiO2") or select a simulant from the dropdown to view all available measurements for that product. Results are displayed in a table with columns for simulant, property, value, unit, measurement condition, and source.
Compare Tool
The Properties tab also includes a Compare mode. Select up to five simulants and choose a property category to view a side-by-side comparison table. This is particularly useful when deciding between simulants for a specific test regime — for example, comparing the angle of internal friction or cohesion values across LHS-1, LMS-1, and MGS-1 before committing to a
Practical Use Cases
Before selecting a simulant: Use the Compare tool in the Properties tab to evaluate geomechanical or mineralogical differences between candidate simulants. Then filter the Publications tab by that simulant to see how it's been used in comparable test conditions.
For proposal and grant writing: Filter by simulant and application to build a defensible literature base showing real-world scientific use of the material you're proposing to use.
For hardware validation: Search by application domain (e.g., dust mitigation, ISRU) to surface prior work using our simulants under conditions relevant to your test protocol — useful for NASA/ESA hardware qualification documentation.
For experimental design: Pull characterization values from the Properties tab to inform test parameters, and follow each source citation back to the original paper for full methodology context.
Tips
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Start with AI Paper Match if you're early in your research and don't yet know which simulant or filter to use.
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In the Publications tab, start broad with a simulant category, then narrow with the All Products and All Applications dropdowns.
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In the Properties tab, use the Compare mode before finalizing simulant selection — it saves time that would otherwise go into pulling datasheets individually.
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All listed research is publicly available. Access full papers through your institution's library or open-access repositories such as NASA ADS, arXiv, or Google Scholar.
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If your paper isn't listed, submit it directly from the database using the DOI submission panel.
If you would rather see the database in action, refer to our companion video for a step-by-step visual demonstration of every feature covered above.
For questions about simulant selection, bulk orders, or custom formulations, contact us at info@spaceresourcetech.com or visit spaceresourcetech.com/pages/contact-us.