MGM
Mechanics of Granular Materials
Microgravity experiment to understand Earth materials
![](https://lasp.colorado.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MGM_1080x1080-768x768.png)
The Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) project studied how cohesionless granular materials, like sand, deform under pressure. The microgravity environment of the space shuttle provided a laboratory for testing these materials under low-stress conditions, and may help us better understand how to work with sand and soil on Earth and, one day, on the Moon.
Mission Class:
Other
Mission Status:
Past
LASP Roles:
Lead Institute
Science Target:
Earth's Surface
Mission Focus:
Earth Materials
Primary Mission Site:
![](https://lasp.colorado.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MGM_1080x1080-768x768.png)
Mission Quick Facts
Research
LASP Instruments
Mission Operations
Mission Data
Image Gallery
LASP Leads
Team
Launch Date: September 16th, 1996 (MGMI); January 22nd, 1998 (MGMII); January 16th, 2003 (MGMIII)
Prime mission: 3 separate flights over 6 years
Lead Institutions: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and LASP
Partners: Louisiana State University-Southern University
For project inquiries, please contact epomail@lasp.colorado.edu
For project inquiries, please contact epomail@lasp.colorado.edu