Micro-Sampling Probe and Programmable Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis Inlet System

Thorleaf Research, Inc. proposes to develop a miniaturized, low power micro-sampling probe and programmable thermal desorption/pyrolysis inlet system to collect and prepare samples for in situ chemical analysis by GC/MS or other techniques. This addresses a key technology gap for in situ Solar System measurements, mainly how to acquire and pre-process complex ice, soil and rock samples for chemical analysis while remaining within challenging mass, volume and power constraints. Although miniaturized GC/MS and other low power instrumentation is currently under development by NASA for in situ measurements, the great potential of such instrumentation for the identification and characterization of biomarkers or early pre-biotic chemistry in the Solar System will not be realized without complementary developments in technology for the collection and pre-processing of relevant types of samples. The goal of our proposed SBIR Phase I effort is to demonstrate feasibility for a miniature, low power micro-sampling probe and programmable thermal desorption/pyrolysis inlet system for in situ chemical measurement applications of interest to NASA, and to develop a detailed design for fabricating prototype instrumentation in Phase II.