Browsing by Author "Madzunkov, Stojan"
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Item Calibration and Performance of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor, an Air Constituent Monitor for Human Spaceflight(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Darrach, Murray; Bae, Byunghoon; Fu, Dejian; Garkanian, Vachik; Homer, Margie; Kidd, Richard; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile; Kraus, Hannes; Maiwald, Frank; Madzunkov, Stojan; Malone, Charles; Nikolic, Dragan; Rais-Zadeh, Mina; Simcic, Jurij; Tillmans, Tina; Zhong, FangThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a miniaturized gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC/MS) instrument for monitoring the cabin atmosphere for human spaceflight missions. The first Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU1) operated successfully aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from August 2019 to July 2021. The second unit, TDU2, will be delivered to ISS in 2023. While on-station, TDU2 will continuously monitor the major atmospheric constituents and, on command, perform analysis of the cabin atmosphere for trace organic volatiles. The S.A.M. TDU2 uses the same quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) sensor as in TDU1, but includes a MEMS preconcentrator, gas chromatograph, and microvalve system. Its miniature, ruggedized form factor allows the S.A.M. to be aisle-deployed to monitor the cabin in different locations and during activities such as exercise and sleep.Item Development of an Active Shielding Concept Using Electrostatic Fields(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Madzunkov, Stojan; Nikolic, Dragan; Belousov, Anton; Fry, Dan; Barzilla, Janet; Bahadori, Amir; Chowdhury, Rajarshi P.; Stegeman, Luke; Lund, MathewJohnson Space Center (JSC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are jointly developing an electrostatic shielding concept to produce a significant increase to the number of safe days astronauts can be in space as well as an increased lifetime to electronic hardware. Our approach is: To reduce radiation exposure by constructing a large (compared to the shielded volume) electrostatic field, which will deflect energetic ions away from a critical volume (e.g., habitat, spacecraft, surface rover). To implement currently available state-of-the-art technologies in the shield design instrumentation (power supplies, booms, etc.). To utilize ground testing by developing an analog of a wind tunnel where scaled-down versions of the shield can be extensively tested. In this study, we will present our testing facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the first results of a prototype 3d configuration.Item Developmental Hardware Testing Results and Forward Plans for the Spacecraft Water Impurity Monitor (SWIM) Organic Water Module (OWM)(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Neidholdt, Evan L.; Pensinger, Stuart; Callahan, Michael; Madzunkov, Stojan; Nikolic, Dragan; Malone, Charles; Darrach,MurrayWe present testing results for developmental hardware of the Spacecraft Water Impurity Monitor (SWIM) Organic Water Module (OWM). SWIM-OWM will monitor spacecraft potable water and system water for trace organic contaminants. The system will detect and identify the specific organic chemical that makes up a given total organic carbon reading. We have built a first development unit (1DU) for SWIM-OWM, which directly injects aqueous water samples and detects chemicals with both a thermal conductivity detector and mass spectrometer sensor. The gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS) system that comprises SWIM-OWM draws on the success of ISS-proven mass spectrometer hardware, and the demonstration of GCMS detection of trace organic contaminants in ISS cabin air. SWIM-OWM benefits from the excellent sensitivity and specificity afforded by GCMS. We have demonstrated detection of a set of chemicals relevant to both crew health and performance as well as system monitoring; these target chemicals range from light, volatile organics such as acetone and ethanol, to heavier, very non-volatile compounds such as dimethyl sulfone and o-phthalaldehyde. Direct aqueous injection was chosen for the general applicability of the technique to clean water sampling and to preclude sample pre-processing, which facilitates an on-line implementation of the SWIM-OWM when deployed in a spacecraft or habitation module. A specific advantage of direct aqueous injection when coupled with appropriate methods is that both the light, volatile organics and heavier non-volatiles can be detected from a single injection, in a single chromatogram. Results from 1DU testing will be discussed, and forward plans will be outlined for continued maturation of SWIM-OWM with the goal of implementing a technology demonstration for the purposes of maturing the engineering design and operations in an environment relevant to NASA�s future goals of exploring and setting up habitation on the Moon and Mars.Item Mapping of Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor Signal to Major Constituent Abundances(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Nikolic, Dragan; Madzunkov, StojanThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) follows the JPL’s commitment to introduce and develop next-generation instrumentation concepts for sensing the air quality on manned space flights via continuous sampling, measuring, and reporting in 2s intervals on all gaseous pollutants. The S.A.M. will have two modes of operation: the Major Constituent Analysis (MCA) mode and the Trace Gas Analysis (TGA) mode. The MCA mode will report on molecular analytes such as CH4, H2O, N2, O2, Ar, and CO2 while the TGA mode will acquire minute amounts of volatile organic compounds. Both modes assess the composition of the ambient air with twenty full mass spectra per second giving rise to a substantial amount of data to be processed by a set of small footprint software stacks hosted by an on-board computer. Mass spectra will be accumulated as the number of counts recorded in a given mass-to-charge channel and converted into the absolute abundances of detected species using an efficient algorithm. The decomposition algorithm contains four units: peak identification, mass calibration, background and dead time correction, and an abundance analysis unit. The abundance analysis module identifies target species through their characteristic fragmentation patterns in the presence of molecular isobars, such as CO and N2. For example, in order to identify N2 analyte, the code will simultaneously monitor abundance ratios of the 14, 28 and 29 Th signals and will adapt to any instability caused by a decrease in ambient pressure or changes in humidity. This requirement becomes critical for instruments designed to monitor the near real-time quality of cabin air and promptly provide accurate feedbacks.Item Mass Spectra Deconvolution of Gaseous Mixtures Containing Volatile Organic Compounds(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Nikolic, Dragan; Madzunkov, Stojan; Darrach, MurrayThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a highly compact gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) that will analyze the spacecraft atmosphere for all volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the Trace Gas Analysis (TGA) mode of operation the S.A.M will detect and quantify VOCs from 50 to 10,000 parts-per-billion. GCMS mass spectra from 20 to 360 Th are generated at a rate of twenty full mass spectra per second and GC co-elutions can yield overlapping electron-impact mass spectra. Despite the presence of these molecular isobars, we report herein on the S.A.M. deconvolution algorithms that have been developed and are capable of identifying target species based on their characteristic fragmentation patterns. We investigate the efficiency of deconvolution algorithm as a function of mass resolution with which mass spectrum is acquired. Finding the balance between deconvolution accuracy and generated data volume under time constrains and limited computing resources is the main topic of this study.Item Progress on the Organic and Inorganic Modules of the Spacecraft Water Impurity Monitor, a Next Generation Complete Water Analysis System for Crewed Vehicles(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Pensinger, Stuart; Callahan, Michael; Neidholdt, Evan; Noell, Aaron; Oborny, Nathan; Bae, Byunghoon; Lopez, Valeria; Hancock, Bruce; Gonzalez, Marianne; Homer, Margie; Madzunkov, Stojan; Darrach, Murray; Kidd, RichardThe Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) is an instrument on the Dragonfly mission operating on the surface of the Titan, the Saturn’s largest moon. Titan's atmosphere is nitrogen rich and has surface atmospheric pressure of 147 kPa and temperature of 94 K. Since electronics cannot survive at these extreme temperatures, significant thermal isolation is needed between the electronics and the Titan atmosphere to maintain the components above their survival temperatures. However, the main electronic box (MEB) for the DraMS instrument dissipates significant amount of heat over small volume and a conventional conductive cooling approach cannot be used without significant mass additions. Instead, a fan cooled approach was chosen. Conditioned room-temperature air, supplied by the Dragonfly lander, will flow directly over the MEB’s boards during DraMS operational scenarios. A cooling air manifold is designed with the help of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to effectively distribute the flow over the actively cooled boards. Since the fan will operate at denser-than-Earth pressures on Titan but Earth-like pressures during ground testing, a thermal test was performed to verify the fan’s thermal performance (at varying levels of pressure) and compared against CFD predictions. This test was performed with a 3-D printed mockup of the MEB with heated metallic plates to simulate the circuit boards. This paper will discuss the analytical CFD work and the thermal tests performed to aid the development of the DraMS thermal/mechanical MEB design.Item Progress Report on the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Madzunkov, Stojan; Bae, Byunghoon; Simcic, Jurij; Rellergert, Wade; Gill, John; Schaefer, Rembrandt; Neidholdt, Evan L.; Nikolic, Dragan; Kidd, Richard; Darrach, MurrayThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (SAM) is a miniature gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) intended for assessing trace volatile organic compounds and the major constituents in the atmosphere of present and future crewed spacecraft. As such, SAM will continuously sample concentrations of major air constituents (CH4, H2O, N2, O2, and CO2) and report results in two-second intervals. The SAM is a technology demonstration planned to launch in Feb 2018 and we report here on recent developments taking place in preparation for building an engineering model of the instrument. We have demonstrated successful micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) GC injection and its coupling to a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS). The SAM is mechanically designed to operate under hi-G loads present during launch events and can operate at sub-atmospheric pressures relevant to extra-vehicular activities. Total instrument mass is projected at 9.5 kg with power consumption estimated at 35 W. The SAM instrument will provide on-demand reporting on trace volatile organic compounds (VOC) at ppm to ppb levels of 40+ species relevant for astronaut health.Item Progress Report on the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor Development Model(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Madzunkov, Stojan; Darrach, Murray; Kidd, Richard; Schaefer, Rembrandt; Simcic, Jurij; Nikolic, Dragan; Diaz, Ernesto; Homer, Margie; Schowalter, Steven; Bae, Byunghoon; Gill, JohnThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a miniature gas chromatograph (GC) mass spectrometer (MS) intended for assessing trace volatile organic compounds and the major constituents in the atmosphere of present and future crewed spacecraft. As such, SAM will continuously sample concentrations of major air constituents (CH4, H2O, N2, O2, and CO2) and report results in two-second intervals. The S.A.M. is a technology demonstration planned to launch in 2018 and we report here on recent developments taking place in building a testbed and development model of the instrument. The S.A.M. is mechanically designed to operate under hi-G loads present during launch events and can operate at sub-atmospheric pressures relevant to extra-vehicular activities. Total instrument mass is projected at 9.5 kg with power consumption estimated at 35 W. The S.A.M. instrument will provide on-demand reporting on trace volatile organic compounds (VOC) at ppm to ppb levels of 40+ species relevant for astronaut health.Item Progress Report on the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor’s Development Model(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Madzunkov, Stojan; Schowalter, Steven; Nikolic, Dragan; Simcic, Jurij; Bae, Byunghoon; Cisneros, Ivan; Schaefer, Rembrandt; Darrach, MurrayThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a miniature gas chromatograph (GC) mass spectrometer (MS) intended for assessing trace volatile organic compounds and the major constituents in the atmosphere of present (the International Space Station) and future crewed spacecraft. As such, S.A.M. will continuously sample concentrations of major air constituents (CH4, H2O, N2, O2, and CO2) and report results in two-second intervals. The S.A.M. is a technology demonstration planned to be delivered in February 2019 and consequently launched in May 2019. The S.A.M. is mechanically designed to operate under hi-G loads present during launch events and can operate at sub-atmospheric pressures relevant to extra-vehicular activities. Total instrument mass is projected at 9.5 kg with power consumption estimated at 35 W. The S.A.M. instrument will provide on-demand reporting on trace volatile organic compounds (VOC) at ppm to ppb levels of 21+ species relevant for astronaut health. Here we are reporting on the results from the Development Model (DM) as its being prepared to be deliver to Marshal Space Center for testing and validation.Item Status and Results of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor Technology Demonstration Instrument(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Darrach, Murray; Madzunkov, Stojan; Bae, Byunghoon; Kidd, Richard; Maiwald, Frank; Malone, Charles; Nikolic, Dragan; Belousov, Anton; Zhong, Fang; Simcic, Jurij; Homer, Margie; Gonzales, Marianne; Garkanian, Vachik; Lopez, Valeria; Jung-Kubiak, Cecile; Rais-Zadeh, Mina; Krause, Hannes; Tillmans, TinaThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a miniaturized gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC/MS) instrument that is being developed for monitoring the cabin atmosphere for human spaceflight missions. The first Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU1) operated successfully aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from August 2019 to July 2021, exceeding its 1 year planned operational lifetime. The TDU1 continuously monitored the ISS cabin atmosphere for the major constituents. In June 2020 the TDU1 was also reconfigured at the request of the ISS vehicle office and successfully determined that there was no benzene leaking into the ISS atmosphere. The technology demonstration unit #2 (TDU2) is scheduled to be deployed on the ISS in 2022. While on-station, TDU2 will continuously monitor the major atmospheric constituents as well as trace organic volatiles. The S.A.M. TDU2 uses the same quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) sensor as in TDU1, but includes a MEMS preconcentrator, gas chromatograph, and microvalve system. Its miniature, ruggedized form factor allows the S.A.M. to be aisle-deployed to monitor the cabin in different locations and during activities such as exercise and sleep. The operational performance of TDU1 and the current status of TDU2 will be discussed.Item SWIM: Progress Report on the Organics Detection from Water(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Nikolic, Dragan; Madzunkov, Stojan; Simcic, JurijJet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is developing a Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (QIT-MS) suited for detecting ppm and ppb levels of organics within the liquid sample. The QIT-MS sensor is of the same heritage as one used in Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.). However, the pumping system, introduction of the sample, and operational architecture and procedures are different. We present our progress in this new instrument development and illustrate its ruggedized design by injecting 98% concentrated sulfuric acid that has the potential as a solvent for biochemistry. Using ruggedized QIT-MS to detect organic species dissolvable in water is straightforward and directly supports Spacecraft Water Impurity Monitor (SWIM) technology development.Item The Technology Demonstration of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Schowalter, Steven; Madzunkov, Stojan; Darrach, Murray; Diaz, Ernesto; Moore, Brad; Simcic, Jurij; Nikolic, Dragan; Bae, ByunghoonThe Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) is a miniaturized Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) instrument being sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019. While on-station, the S.A.M. instrument will continuously monitor the major atmospheric constituents as well as trace organic volatiles in the cabin air daily. At its core, the S.A.M. sensor consists of a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) coupled to a MEMS preconcentrator, gas chromatograph, and microvalve system. Its miniature, ruggedized form factor allows the S.A.M. to be aisle-deployed throughout different nodes of the ISS to monitor different astronaut environments and activities such as exercise and sleep. The final system design of the S.A.M. flight unit, regarding the GC/MS architecture, the mechanical and electrical assembly, and the software implementation, will be discussed in detail and the S.A.M. flight unit performance will be presented.Item Update on Active Shielding Concept Using Electrostatic Fields(2024 International Conference on Environmnetal Systems, 2024-07-21) Madzunkov, Stojan; Nikolic, Dragan; Fry, Dan; Bahadori, Amir; Chowdhury, Rajarshi Pal; Stegeman, Luke; Arnett, Kenneth; Battel, Steven; Hancock, Allison; Gilchrist, Brian; Leon, Omar; McNally, Patrick; Lund, Matthew; Delzanno, Gian LucaWe have investigated different electrostatic field configurations to identify the optimal configuration to maximize the number of safe days astronauts can be exposed to ionizing radiation (SEP and CGR) during exploration missions. The general concept is based on principles of charged particle shielding by Earth�s geomagnetic field, i.e., particle deflection. We have utilized custom-built simulation tools for fast GPU-based computing of different configurations and measurements performed at the Brookhaven National Lab Tandem facility using an analogous �wind tunnel� setup. This has allowed us to develop scaling laws by directly measuring the shielding efficacy of scaled-down three-dimensional test articles, resulting in methods to mature technology to effectively scale up to both in-space particle energies and physical shield size (mass, power) required to reduce the cumulative radiation exposure to humans. In addition, work was conducted to develop ways to mitigate the interaction with the in-space plasma environment. Measurements were performed on several mitigation methods. Results showed the possibility of reducing power requirements from megawatts to tens of kilowatts. Lastly, a prototype high-voltage power supply design capable of reaching 300 kV was investigated and verified with a simple single electrostatic dipole configuration (SPRL). We find that the currently identified configuration will reduce the dose from the 1989 SPE by approximately 50% with an applied voltage of 1 MV and a power consumption of ~10 kW. The next step in concept maturation is a planned large-scale trade study to identify required support structures, electrode charging scenarios, operational concepts, etc., to implement and operate the concept as a full-size three-dimensional shield around a Mars transit vehicle or surface habitat. This trade will allow for mass/power estimates of a full-scale shield and the identification of current technologies to support the construction of an active radiation shield.Item Update on the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor Technology Demonstration Project(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Darrach, Murray; Madzunkov, Stojan; Kidd, Richard; Bae, Byunghoon; Zhong, Fang; Simcic, Jurij; Malone, Charles; Belousov, Anton; Belousov, Anton; Maiwald, Frank; Gonzales, Marianne; Homer, Margie; Diaz, Ernesto; Moore, Bradley; Nikolic, Dragan; Purcell, Richard; Oyake, Amalaye; Tillmans, Tina; Reichenbach, KelseyWe report on the scientific and engineering progress for the second technology demonstration unit (TDU2) of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.). The S.A.M. TDU2 is a compact gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) for monitoring both the trace volatile organics and the major constituents in the astronaut cabin atmosphere. Progress on the micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) gas chromatograph is detailed, showing sensitivity and selectivity of the TDU2 analytical measurements. The TDU2 capabilities for monitoring the cabin air major constituents is also detailed, highlighting improvements from the first S.A.M. TDU instrument.