Spacecraft Cabin Particulate Monitor

We propose to design, build and test an optical extinction monitor for the detection of spacecraft cabin particulates. This monitor will be sensitive to particle sizes ranging from a few nanometer to tens of micrometers in diameter. Designed to utilize commercial off-the-shelf components, the monitor, once calibrated, will require no recalibration and only periodic baseline determinations, a process which can be automated as part of the operation of the instrument. It employs no consumables. This monitor employs cavity attenuation phase shift technology and involves the use a light emitting diode coupled to a low-loss optical cavity. The Phase I project will involve a proof-of-principle demonstration followed by the monitoring of ambient particulates in an urban area.