Mini-Cell Ion Mobility Spectrometer for In Situ Chemical Analysis

A miniature, specialized Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) will be designed, built, and evaluated that is responsive to the requirements of NASA exobiology flight experiments. The helium-based Ion Mobility Spectrometer previously developed for NASA by the key personnel making this proposal provides the universal response and ppb sensitivity required. However, the minimal resources available onboard for missions to planets and small bodies such as comets, asteroids, and moons, mandate that the instruments provide maximum analytical capabilities with minimal requirements of volume, weight, and consumables. Therefore, further miniaturization and development of the IMS is required. For Phase I it is proposed that a miniaturized IMS prototype be designed, built, and evaluated as the platform for a space-capable instrument. This instrument will incorporate a number of novel features that advance the current technology. The modifications and improvements to the former design will provide the required analytical and space-flight capabilities to serve as the basis for a miniature space-capable instrument. Phase II will entail the evaluation of the Mini-Cell IMS in conjunction with MEMS GC and the possible further miniaturization and production engineering of delivered instrumentation. Potential commercial applications are for the manufacture of hand-held detectors for explosives or illegal narcotics.