Laser Induced Native Fluorescence Instrument for Rapid Bioload Validation

Present planetary protection policy specifies maximum biological contamination on spacecraft, dependent on mission type. Present technologies do not have the sensitivity to measure biological contamination after heat sterilization for Class IVB biologic spacecraft. Measurements taken prior to heat sterilization using present technology require typically 3 days for validation, thus slowing the assembly process and increasing spacecraft assembly cost and complexity. A multiple emission waveband, deep ultraviolet laser induced native fluorescence (UVLINF) detector is proposed for use with present sampling techniques to replace the need to culture samples and reduce the time to less than 8 hours for providing a high level of contaminant identification specificity. This universal detector can be used with small variations as a core detector in a variety of instrument modalities. Flow cytometry will be the first of these instrument modalities to be investigated. This detector will have the ultimately capability to locate, in situ, on the surface of a heat sterilized spacecraft, a single microorganism within an area of 30 square meters in less than 8 hours. The core technologies proposed for development here are compact, low power consumption, deep UV lasers and dichroic filters needed for band separation at short wavelengths.