Lunar regolith simulant

Okay kiddo, have you ever played in the sandbox? Imagine a sandbox that's full of tiny rocks and dust instead of sand. That's kind of what you'll find on the moon. Scientists sometimes create something called a "lunar regolith simulant" to help them study what the moon is like.

They use special machines to grind up rocks and dirt that have been collected from the moon or that are similar to lunar materials. Then they mix it all together to make a pretend moon sand.

They can use this simulant to test things like how rovers move on the moon or how to build structures on the moon's surface. It's like a toy they can use to practice doing science on the moon without actually going there. Pretty cool, huh?