There is a need for the development of a compact sensor for the characterization of dust size, velocity, and concentration for NASA's upcoming missions to Mars and comets. Currently, there are no sensors that can support these missions and withstand the temperature and vibrational extremes. We propose to develop a small, rugged, low power and non-intrusive particle sizing instrument for space application. The proposed instrument is based on an existing miniature Laser Doppler Anemometer sensor developed by a the proposed PI and its consultants at Caltech. The sensor uses lasers diodes and miniature optics housed within a small and rigid housing. It has no moving parts and can be built to withstand the required environment for the space exploration. During the Phase I effort, a prototype particle sizing sensor based on NASA.s system requirements will be fabricated and tested. It will be demonstrated that the proposed instrument will accurately characterize dusty environments and will have mass, volume and power requirements that are within NASA.s guidelines. During the second phase of the proposed effort, a brass-board prototype of the particle sizing instrument will be fabricated, tested and the design of a space-qualifiable particle sizing instrument will be completed.
Potential Commercial Applications:There are numerous POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS for a rugged, low cost and integrated particle sizing/velocity instrument. They include air pollution monitoring, industrial and process control, combustion monitoring, and bio-applications. VioSense Corporation is uniquely positioned for commercial development of the results of the proposed program.
