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With a form factor close to a deck of playing cards, the system interrogator has custom software to interface with and service a population of sensor tags at the required data rates. Each EPCglobal C1G2 sensor tag uses incident interrogator energy to charge its small integrated circuit (IC), which reads an internal memory bank, encodes identification data, and uses that information to modulate and backscatter a reply to the interrogator using reflected interrogator energy. Two tag interfaces allow the attached processor to power the reading/writing of data to the tag memory and then allows the interrogator to power the reading of the tag memory data. When neither of the two interfaces are engaged, the RFID IC is completely powered down. Reading and writing tag memory consumes relatively little power compared to the power draw of active transmitter/receiver protocols like Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi. Compared to passive sensing protocols, this wireless instrumentation system enables sampling of a larger population of tags without the computational burden associated with surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensing. RFID-Enabled Wireless Instrumentation technology allows the RFID interrogator to write data through the interface of a sensor tag memory bank using only interrogator power. With only minimal cost to the sensors power budget, the microcontroller unit can read that data out over the serial interface. The sensor can transmit and receive data at no effective cost to its small coin cell battery power supply. This technology is readiness level (TRL) 8 (actual system completed and "flight qualified" through test and demonstration) and the innovation is now available for your company to license. Please note that NASA does not manufacture products itself for commercial sale.

Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) used for extended space missions must recover and process wastewater to provide potable water for crew consumption and oxygen generation. Exploration mission spacecraft will have a smaller crew than the ISS, meaning demands would typically be less than what full-featured commercial TOC analyzers are designed to provide. Current analyzer technology also has limitations and uncertainties for spaceflight integration, such as part traceability, reliability, material properties for flammability or off-gassing, software and interface that are inconsis-tent with spaceflight needs, human factors, and structural reliability. The MiniTOCA provides a compact solution to the performance demands of onboard water quality analysis for crewed exploration missions through a unique core technology process that facilitates the detection of trace organic compounds in a water sample. It utilizes an ultra-violet oxidation method to activate the dissolved oxygen in the water which results in oxidation of the organic chemicals into carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then measured by a Miniature Tunable Laser Spectrometer (MTLS) by sweeping the carbon dioxide out of the water in a gas / liquid separator using nitrogen gas. This novel process allows for small system sample volumes, small overall size/mass, zero consumables, low average power con-sumption (less than 60W), projected long-life (~10 years), and reliable analytical performance – all addressing critical performance gaps within the current TOC analyzer industry. Lab and environmental testing demonstrated that the MiniTOCA’s architecture is both feasible and is excellent in performance. Potential commercial applications for the MiniTOCA include, but are not limited to, ultra-pure water (UPW) systems; remote, mobile, and distributed environmental water quality monitoring; and specialized industrial process control. Technologies comprising the device lend themselves to miniaturization and are forward leaning in exploration applications. The MiniTOCA is scheduled to be flown and imple-mented aboard the ISS in late 2025.