MGM
Mechanics of Granular Materials
Microgravity experiment to understand Earth materials
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:
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