Portable Major and Trace Constituent Gas Analyzer for Habitable Environments

This proposal will use high sensitivity charge detectors developed for NASA mass spec in planetary science missions to develop miniaturized mass spec systems for environmental monitoring. NASA uses a mass spectrometer onboard the ISS to monitor the major constituents and trace gasses in the atmosphere, but it is a large system. At the same time NASA uses handheld chemical sensors to monitor specific gasses like oxygen and carbon dioxide. The portable system under development in this proposal will allow the analytical power and sensitivity of a mass spec system while being portable. These will be designed for use in habitable and built environments in space and on lunar missions. Major constituents of the atmosphere are important to measure for health and safety. Trace gas components can also indicate dangerous conditions. The aim is to provide astronauts and NASA with better monitoring systems for gas composition in their environment. Right now the mass spec system takes significant time to service and operate, and an astronaut’s time is scarce and incredibly valuable. The instruments will serve a dual purpose as monitoring equipment for biological and other science experiments where trace gas composition is a variable of interest. Monitoring the atmosphere is an important component of biological experiments as well. Plant or other living organisms modify the atmosphere around them as they grow, and this is often important experimental information. These instruments would be ideal for moving to an experiment as needed to monitor the atmosphere over time. Portable mass spec instruments have a strong dual use case. Air quality monitoring outside and inside of industrial facilities such as chemical plants and refineries is mandated by EPA regulations. Less sensitive portable mass spec instruments are already in use for detection of hazardous substances like drugs and explosives.