Tool for Rapid Identification of TCE in Plants

The technology is a sensor for remotely detecting sub part-per-billion (ppb) levels of ambient trace gases and chemical species. The system includes a high-repetition-rate, pulsed laser module that is spectrally tuned to a desired chemical species. The photons from the laser are absorbed by the target chemical, creating an acoustic vibration that impacts a diaphragm (which acts like a speaker). A highly sensitive, photo-emf detector is then used to measure the magnitude of the vibration, which corresponds to the concentration of the target chemical. The technology is being developed for NASA's trace-gas measurement needs for validation and ground truth studies to support airborne and space-based LIDAR operations. The technology has application as a chemical sniffer to detect hazardous or toxic chemical species in the vicinity of IEDs, explosives, or other chemical agents. In such an application the sensor could detect chemical species hidden inside closed containers, bags, or car trunks.

Bacterial contamination of water systems used in microgravity is a major issue for NASA because biofilms can clog or interfere with water system functions and bacterial ingestion can be harmful to astronaut health. To address this problem, NASA innovators developed a microwave based technology to purify contaminated water by eradicating and eliminating bacteria that grows in systems that generate potable water, in equipment utilizing cooling loops and heat exchangers, and removing bacterial contamination that is present on a variety of surfaces. This decontamination system is chemical free and requires minimal to no consumables. Initial testing identified a specific microwave frequency band and exposure times for killing bacteria (Burkholderia cepacia) and biofilm. Test results show that exposing static water to microwave energy for 90 seconds can effectively kill waterborne bacteria and biofilm within a water filtration system. Additional testing, using a circulating water test bed, demonstrated that microwave energy at the selected frequency can effectively eradicate waterborne bacteria within 30 seconds. This technology could be further developed into a portable, lightweight system for use in remote locations as well as commercial space applications. The microwave decontamination system could also be added to existing water systems to extend the life of the system.

Typical concentration sensors, like the one initially used in the UWMS, rely on changes in electrical conductivity to measure the concentration of a solution. These measurements using conductivity are prone to voltage drift over time, leading to unreliable measurements as the sensor ages. The optical sensor developed here uses light scattering to measure the solution concentration without the issue of voltage drift. In this sensor, light from a green LED is passed into the sensor housing where it hits a first detector (i.e., a photodiode) to establish a reference of the amount of light before scattering. Simultaneously, the light from the LED scatters through the pretreat solution and then hits a second photodiode to measure the amount of light after scattering. The difference between the amount of light measured by the two detectors is used to calculate the concentration of the pretreat solution (based upon Beer’s Law). The optical concentration sensor has been demonstrated to effectively measure pretreat concentrations in both still and flowing liquid conditions and is resistant to contamination issues as necessitated by the UWMS. The optical pretreat concentration sensor is at technology readiness level (TRL) 4 (component and/or breadboard validation in laboratory environment) and is available for patent licensing.

The technology provides miniaturized techniques for extracting trace amounts of organic molecules (lipids) from natural samples. It operates as an autonomous, miniaturized fluidic system, integrating lab techniques for lipid analysis while minimizing reagent volumes and concentrating organics for analysis, thereby increasing signal-to-noise ratios by orders of magnitude. The non-aqueous fluidic system described herein for astrobiological and life-detection missions (either in situ or returned sample) is configured to extract lipid organics from regolith using (1) a fluidic sample processor made of materials compatible with organic solvents and (2) a machine-learning system to select processing steps and parameters to maximize lipid yield. A critical gap is bridged by integrating technologies into a system that replicates analytical lab procedures autonomously on a spaceflight instrument scale with fidelity to original lab techniques. Automated fluidic devices combine controlled handling of liquids with sequential operations and parallelization of replicate processes. By designing such systems to closely interface with both sample-delivery and analytical measurement systems, laboratory analyses are automated. The technology adapts best practice laboratory methods for lipid analysis, overcoming analytical challenges like low organic abundance, interference of minerals/salts, and degradation of origin-diagnostic molecular structures. The extraction and concentration techniques from rock/soil samples can be applied to any biomarkers by changing the solvent, temperature, and agitation.

This instrument uses a variation of laser heterodyne radiometer (LHR) to measure the concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere by measuring their absorption of sunlight in the infrared. Each absorption signal is mixed with laser light (the local oscillator) at a near-by frequency in a fast photoreceiver. The resulting beat signal is sensitive to changes in absorption, and located at an easier-to-process RF frequency. By separating the signal into a RF filter bank, trace gas concentrations can be found as a function of altitude.