Get your fake moon rocks here

Been looking everywhere for realistic representations of the lunar surface? Look no more. Zybek Advanced Products, a Boulder-based firm just chosen for assistance by a University of Colorado-affiliated nonprofit dedicated to promoting space-industry entrepreneurship, has built "a full-scale plasma processing facility... used for manufacturing high-volume glass and mineral materials," including...

By Michael Roberts

July 15, 2009

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Been looking everywhere for realistic representations of the lunar surface? Look no more. Zybek Advanced Products, a Boulder-based firm just chosen for assistance by a University of Colorado-affiliated nonprofit dedicated to promoting space-industry entrepreneurship, has built "a full-scale plasma processing facility... used for manufacturing high-volume glass and mineral materials," including "lunar simulant materials." The idea, presumably, is that if NASA really is serious about a return mission to the moon, astronauts will need a realistic foundation for earthbound practice sessions, and not just any rocks will do. Sound like an unlikely business plan? Maybe so -- but it's one that just received a $20,000 grant. Next stop: Mars.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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