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We are developing a multi-wavelength laser for the two-step laser time-of-flight mass-spectrometer (L2MS). The L2MS is designed to detect hydrocarbons in organically-doped analog minerals, including cryogenic Ocean World-relevant ices and mixtures for future astrobiology missions.
The advent of several key enabling electro-optics technologies afford advanced, non-topographic remote sensing instruments for space. We will present progress on several new, space-based laser instruments that are being developed at NASA GSFC. Long Abstract: In the past 20+ years, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has successfully developed and flown lidars for mapping of Mars, the Earth, Mercury...
We present a laboratory reproduction of hypervelocity impacts of a carbon containing meteorite on a mineral substance representative of planetary surfaces. The physical conditions of the resulting impact plasma torch provide favorable conditions for abiogenic synthesis of protein amino acids: We identified glycine and alanine, and in smaller quantities serine, in the produced material. Moreover, we...
Laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LD-TOF-MS) has been developed and used to characterize different groups of hydrous minerals. We have advanced the technique by including reversed polarity, precision ion gating, and a curved field reflectron mass analyzer. Reversed polarity provides capabilities in achieving complementary compositional information of the materials, and...
The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) investigation is a key astrobiology experiment scheduled to launch on the joint ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2018 rover mission. MOMA will examine the chemical composition of geological samples acquired from depths of up to two meters below the martian surface, where fragile organic molecules may be protected from destructive cosmic radiation and/or oxidative chemical...
We demonstrate the biosignature detection capabilities of several classes of instruments, including a compact laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, an acousto-optic tunable filter IR point spectrometer, a laser-induced breakdown spectrometer, and a scanning electron microscope. We collected biotic and abiotic calcite, gypsum, and manganese oxide samples from Fort Stanton Cave...
Coordinated analyses of mineralogy and chemistry of sediments from the Antarctic Dry Valleys illustrate how data obtained using flight-ready technology of current NASA and ESA missions can be combined for greater understanding of the samples. Mineralogy was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and visible/near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectroscopy. Chemical analyses utilized a quadrupole mass spectrometer...
On future landed missions to Mars and small solar system bodies, efficient sample prescreening will be necessary to select interesting targets for further analysis by analytical instruments with very limited time and power resources. Near infrared spectroscopy is well suited for rapid and non-invasive identification of mineral classes, and for determining the possible presence of organic molecules...
Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films developed and patented at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) exhibit a unique combination of outstanding mechanical, tribological, electrical, thermal, biological and electron field emission properties, which already resulted in industrial components and devices currently commercialized by Advanced Diamond Technologies, a company co-founded by ANL scientists...
We discuss the development of a miniature near-infrared point spectrometer, operating between 1.7–3.45 μm, based on acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) technology. This instrument may be used to screen and corroborate analyses of samples containing organic biomarkers or mineralogical signatures suggestive of extant or extinct organic material collected in situ from planetary surfaces. The AOTF point...
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were prepared using iron catalysts deposited by indirect evaporation on silicon substrate covered with 500nm-thick thermal oxide. Diode SWCNT devices have been fabricated using Au and Al, as the asymmetric metal contacts, and a random network of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes as the device channel. No effort was made to align the SWCNTs or to eliminate...
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