Nanoengineered Hybrid Gas Sensors for Spacesuit Monitoring

Extravehicular Mobility Units (EVU) are the necessary to perform elaborate, dynamic tasks in the biologically harsh conditions of space and they have stringent requirements on physical and chemical nature of the equipment/components/processes, to ensure safety and health of the individual require proper functioning of its life-support systems. Monitoring the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) of the EVU in real time ensures the safety of the astronaut and success of the mission. In Phase I, N5 Sensors has demonstrated and manufactured an ultra-small form factor, highly reliable, rugged, low-power sensor architecture for carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) that is ideally suited for monitoring trace chemicals in spacesuite environment in presence of humidity and oxygen. N5 will perform additional design refinements in Phase II and implement on-chip components for enhanced analytical and operational reliability. Additionally, a complete detector system will be designed, integrated with various electronic components and tested to determine system level performance and reliability. Subsequent design refinements will be done.