In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Los Gatos Research (LGR) proposes to design and build a stand-off fluorescence spectrometer that uses light-emitting diodes and triodes to excite targets from the deep-ultraviolet through the visible and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) techniques and steady-state photon-counting to quantify the fluorescence properties of the target in order to categorize its mineralogy and detect the presence of organics. The instrument will require no reagents or consumables and by simply placing the instrument on a sample of rock, soil, or ice, it will be able to detect a wide range of minerals and organics (at or below the 10-100 ppb-level) including proteins, free aromatic amino acids, F420 (a biomarker specific to methanogens), NADH, PAHs, and porphyrins (e.g. chlorophyll). It will be designed with flight in mind so mass, volume, and power-requirement will be minimized as much as possible. The use of multi-anode photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and avalanche photodiodes (APDs) will make the system compact and rugged and thus suitable for future missions and ongoing field and laboratory studies.
Potential NASA Commercial Applications: (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Both the Moon and Mars may hold important clues to the origin of life in our solar system and the need to detect trace levels of organics on them is on-going. With the recent discovery of potentially ancient water ice in permanently-shadowed craters on the Moon comes the tantalizing possibility that a treasure trove of pre-biotic organics may be trapped in that ice. These organics would be indicative of the kind of material that may have seeded life on Earth. On Mars, the discovery of water-created sedimentary minerals, verification of water-ice near its surface and the strong possibility of liquid water existing on and near its surface continues to make it an important target for discovering evidence for extinct and extant life. A stand-off fluorimeter, capable of measuring fluorescence emission lifetimes and time-gating, would make a fantastic tool for discovering organics on extraplanetary bodies as it would require no consumables, be very sensitive, require little to no sample handling, be rapid, and be rugged. Such an instrument would be suitable for development and deployment on future extraplanetary missions including upcoming lunar and Mars missions. Additionally, its miniature size makes it suitable for Small-Sat missions to study organics such as O/OREOS. For terrestrial use, it will allow researchers in NASA's Space Science and Astrobiology Division to quantify the presence of different minerals and organics during analog field research and laboratory research.
Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications: (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) FLEXEMS has many uses outside of NASA. Due to its sensitivity, specificity, and portability, it would be very useful for (1) environmental research of terrestrial and marine waters (e.g., DOM, humic and fulvic acid studies), (2) process control and monitoring of closed and recycled water systems (e.g., Naval shipboard water monitoring, water treatment), (3) pollution monitoring of water, soils and sediments (e.g., PAHs, pesticides, and fuels), (5) the detection of biological weapons (e.g., Anthrax) Considering only (1) and (2), it is anticipated that total 5-year revenue may be as high as $20M.
Technology Taxonomy Mapping: (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.) Analytical Instruments (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, Energy; see also Sensors) Analytical Methods Biological (see also Biological Health/Life Support) Biological Signature (i.e., Signs Of Life) Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics) Process Monitoring & Control Ultraviolet Visible
