Browsing by Author "Mudgett, Paul"
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Item Development History of the High-Performance Infrared Laser Sensor into NASA Architectures via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Chullen, Cinda; Meginnis, Carly; Graf, John; Mudgett, Paul; Skow, Mary Coan; Vogel, MatthewGas sensing in space is difficult. Current commercial off the shelf (COTS) devices are not qualified to measure multiple gas constituents in space platforms. Vista Photonics, Inc. (VPI) has taken lessons learned from several Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) awards and progressed their innovative technology to a point of infusing into a NASA flight program. Their development progression through the SBIR Program included Phase I, II, and III awards along with program matching-fund awards (Phase II-E and Commercialization Readiness Program). Development goals included increase sensing capability; ensure calibration and system stability were maintained; ensure valid sensor measurements; eliminate complexity, reduce power, volume, and cost; improve response time; and increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The SBIR awards have resulted in several laser based gas sensing prototypes that were designed, built, tested, and delivered for NASA�s evaluation including an Advanced Space Suit Portable Life Support System (PLSS) gas sensor, an In-Flight Contingency Monitor and a Post-Landing Contingency Monitor. VPI leveraged lessons learned from the initial SBIR development of the Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM). The MGM was a technology demonstration onboard the International Space Station. This successful demonstration led NASA to consider the sensor technology as a potential candidate for the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit PLSS. The Orion Program has selected a derivative of VPI�s technology for its Anomaly Gas Analyzer to detect vehicle combustion products. This paper articulates the technology development progression of VPI�s gas sensor through the SBIR Program to increase the TRL and technically infuse into the Orion architecture for gas sensing.Item Enhanced AQM: Development of an Exploration Compatible Air Quality Monitor(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Wallace, William; Limero, Thomas; Clark, Kenneth; Macatangay, Ariel; Mudgett, Paul; Gazda, DanielReal-time monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the International Space Station (ISS) is currently performed using a pair of Air Quality Monitors (AQMs), instruments that combine gas chromatography (GC) separation with differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) detection. Each AQM occupies a volume of approximately 4900 cm3 and has a mass of 3.7 kg. Each AQM also requires a power supply that is roughly the same size and mass. While these parameters do not present a concern on the ISS, they are too large for future exploration missions. The most obvious avenue for decreasing the size and mass of the AQMs lies in the reduction from two instruments and power supplies to a single unit and power supply. As currently configured, the required target VOCs cannot be successfully monitored on a single GC column, as the column cannot be cooled sufficiently to allow separation of early-eluting compounds. Here, we will show how limited method changes and additional cooling of the GC column can minimize the effects of compound coelution and allow all analytes to be monitored on a single AQM. We will also discuss other potential improvements that could increase the sensitivity and further reduce the size of an exploration-ready AQM.Item Feasibility of using Low-Cost COTS Sensors for Particulate Monitoring in Space Missions(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Meyer, Marit; Afshar-Mohajer, Nima; Cross, Eben; Mudgett, PaulReal-time measurement of particles suspended in the spacecraft cabin is of great importance to verify that maximum allowable dust concentrations are not exceeded. This is primarily to protect astronaut health, but also has implications for dust-sensitive equipment. Recently, there is growing interest in low-cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) particle sensors by air quality researchers for their ability to map concentrations of airborne particulate matter in various terrestrial settings. In addition to low cost (< $2,000), the compact size and minimal weight of these sensors make them a potential choice for space missions. The detection mechanism for these aerosol sensors is typically measurement of light scattered by particles as they flow through a sensing volume. The amount of scattered light for detection depends on the particle size, shape, density, and refractive index of the particle material. Ideally, particle instruments should be calibrated with reference instruments for each different type of aerosol measurement. In this study we review multiple parameters that may impact the performance of state-of-the-art low-cost aerosol sensors. Environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, low ambient pressure, radiation and charge environment, partial-gravity and microgravity can affect the accuracy of particle measurements. Characteristics of the dust aerosols including particle size distribution, aerosol composition, refractive index, morphology and concentration levels also affect the measurement accuracy. Finally, we look at these parameters and issues with respect to an example COTS low-cost aerosol sensor. Instrument performance specifications are evaluated, and experiments are performed to measure real-time concentrations of Arizona Road Dust (a terrestrial reference test dust) and lunar dust simulant in a laboratory chamber. Overall, this study provides insight for evaluating spacecraft particulate monitoring technologies and raises questions to be answered before incorporating low-cost COTS sensors in future space missions to dusty destinations.Item Preparation of the Multi-Gas Monitor for US Navy Submarine Sea Trial(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Mudgett, Paul; Manney, Joshua; Smith, Matthew; O'Connor, Sara Jane; Pilgrim, Jeffrey S.During a successful 2 year technology demonstration of the tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) based Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM) on the International Space Station (ISS), we began discussing with the US Navy the possibility of conducting a sea trial of an MGM on a submarine. The sea trial would also include a gas chromatography/differential mobility spectrometer based Air Quality Monitor (AQM), which is used operationally on ISS for volatile organic compound analysis. AQM results will be the subject of a separate paper. The Navy’s interest in testing NASA equipment is in a planned update to the environmental monitoring equipment used aboard submarines. NASA’s goal is studying submarines as closed environment analogs to spacecraft. MGM’s core technology was developed by Vista Photonics Inc using Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and expanded for various applications using NASA program funding. The MGM measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and water vapor in ambient air, displays concentrations with temperature and pressure, and stores 30 second moving averages. The sea trial involves collocating the instrument with the Central Atmosphere Monitoring System (CAMS) of the submarine, connecting it to rack power prior to departure, and letting it run during the entire sea trial of a few months duration. All data is stored within MGM, with no connection to the vessel data bus. Crew intervention is limited to checking MGM periodically to see that it is working and power cycling if necessary. After the trial is over, the unit with its data will be retrieved. Post sea trial calibration check and data analysis are planned and results will be compared with both CAMS data and results from MGM’s ISS technology demonstration. The paper discusses calibration and preparation of an MGM for the sea trial.Item Preparation of the NASA Air Quality Monitor For A U.S. Navy Submarine Sea Trial(47th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017-07-16) Limero, Thomas; Wallace, William; Manney, Joshua; Smith, Matthew; O'Connor, Sara Jane; Mudgett, PaulFor the past 4 years, the Air Quality Monitor (AQM) has been the operational instrument for measuring trace volatile organic compounds on the International Space Station (ISS). The key components of the AQM are the inlet preconcentrator, the gas chromatograph (GC), and the differential mobility spectrometer. Onboard ISS there are 2 AQMs, with different GC columns that detect and quantify 22 compounds. The AQM data contribute valuable information to the assessment of air quality aboard ISS for each crew increment. The U.S. Navy is looking to update its submarine air monitoring suite of instruments and the success of the AQM on ISS has led to a jointly planned submarine sea trial of a NASA AQM. In addition to the AQM, the Navy is also interested in the Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM), which measures major constituent gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ammonia). A separate paper will present the MGM sea trial results. A prototype AQM, which is virtually identical to the operational AQM, has been readied for the sea trial. Only 1 AQM will be deployed during the sea trial, but it is sufficient to detect the compounds of interest to the Navy for the purposes of this trial. The data from the sea trial will be compared to archival samples collected before and during the trial period. This paper will give a brief overview of the AQM technology and protocols for the submarine trial. After a quick review of the AQM preparation, the main focus of the paper will be on the results of the submarine trial. Of particular interest will be the comparison of the contaminants found in the ISS and submarine atmospheres, as both represent closed environments. In U.K. submarine trials in the early 2000s, the submarine and ISS atmospheres were found to be remarkably similar.Item Preparations for 2nd US Navy Submarine Sea Trial Utilizing NASA and US Navy Analyzers(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Manney, Joshua; Smith, Jay; Mudgett, Paul; Pilgrim, Jeffrey; Bowman, JoshuaIn 2017, a team consisting of representatives from the US Navy, NASA and industry conducted the testing of two NASA-developed analyzers onboard a submarine, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship and the successful transition of analyzing technologies between very similar closed-atmospheric environments. The first NASA-developed analyzer was the tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS)-based Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM) mainly monitoring life gases, and the second was a gas chromatography/differential mobility spectrometer-based Air Quality Monitor (AQM) observing select volatile organic compounds. Both of these analyzers had previously been deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) with proven success of long-term operation in a closed atmosphere. The Navy remains interested in performing recurring evaluations of alternative atmospheric monitoring equipment and technologies to maintain and improve onboard submarine atmospheric monitoring. Furthermore, the performance of this sea trail supports NASA�s goal of studying submarines as closed environment analogs to spacecraft. Preparations for the second sea trial on a Navy submarine are ongoing and strongly leverage technologies in development under an existing US Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. The following technologies are presently under consideration: cavity ringdown spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, tunable laser absorption spectroscopy and photoacoustic spectroscopy. Additionally, discussions with NASA continue concerning incorporation of a successor to the MGM, and a modified AQM based on the findings of the initial sea trial. During the sea trial, the selected analyzers will sample from the same locations as existing onboard atmospheric equipment for comparison purposes and will be operated continuously for a duration of months with little crew intervention beyond ensuring operation. This paper will provide an overview of the decision-making behind the technologies selected, the preparations for the sea trail and results, and comparisons of the data recovered from the analyzers, if full execution can occur prior to submittal of the paper.Item Results from the U.S. Navy Submarine Sea Trial of the NASA Air Quality Monitor(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Limero, Thomas; Wallace, William; Manney, Joshua; Smith, Matthew; O'Connor, Sara Jane; Mudgett, PaulFor the past 4 years, the Air Quality Monitor (AQM) has been the operational instrument for measuring trace volatile organic compounds on the International Space Station (ISS). The key components of the AQM are the inlet preconcentrator, the gas chromatograph (GC), and the differential mobility spectrometer. On board the ISS are two AQMs with different GC columns that detect and quantify 22 compounds. The AQM data contributes valuable information to the assessment of air quality aboard the ISS for crew health. The U.S. Navy is looking to update its suite of instruments for air monitoring aboard submarines, and the success of the AQM on the ISS has led to a jointly planned submarine sea trial of a NASA AQM. In addition to the AQM, the Navy is also interested in the Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM), which measures major constituent gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ammonia). A separate paper will present the MGM sea trial preparation and the analysis of the most recent ISS data. A prototype AQM, which is virtually identical to the operational AQM, has been readied for the sea trial. Only 1 AQM will be deployed during the sea trial, but this is sufficient for NASA purposes and to detect the compounds of interest to the U.S. Navy for this trial. The data from the sea trial will be compared to data from archival samples collected before, during, and after the trial period. A brief overview of the AQM technology and preparation for the submarine trial will be presented. The majority of the presentation will focus on the AQM performance during the trial with comparison of AQM and archival data before, during, and after the submarine trial.Item Seeking the Tricorder: Evolution of the NASA Anomaly Gas Analyzer(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Mudgett, Paul; Skow, Mary Coan; Limero, Thomas; Beck, Steven; Pilgrim, JeffreyNASA requires a gas sensor for monitoring a wide variety of species onboard spacecraft. As a major constituents analyzer the device should measure oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor with high precision. As a post-event combustion monitor the device should measure carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride with high sensitivity. As a leak detector the device should measure ammonia and chemical hydrazine with high specificity. The device should be portable, handheld, operate under its own power in a widely variable temperature-pressure-gravity-vibration-radiation environment while reliably reporting gas concentrations as quickly and unambiguously as possible. Alas, the tricorder! A two-year technology demonstration of the tunable diode laser based Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM) on the International Space Station (ISS) for major constituents plus ammonia, combined with extensive ground test of detecting combustion evolved gases led NASA to commission Vista Photonics to develop a device to measure all those species plus chemical hydrazine. Known as the Anomaly Gas Analyzer (AGA) project, the end product will be critical flight hardware for both Orion and the International Space Station. Three AGA engineering development units were delivered to NASA Johnson Space Center and are being subjected to a variety of tests at present. A device similar to the MGM was recently tested by the US Navy on a submarine. A sea trial of a more capable AGA-like device is in the planning stages. The Navy’s interest in testing NASA equipment is in a planned update to submarine environmental monitoring equipment. Vista Photonics is developing a scalable AGA-based architecture for the Navy that expands the target gases to include formaldehyde, ethylene, nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, R12/R134a Freon, and acrolein. The core technology was developed by Vista Photonics through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and expanded using NASA program funding.Item Spacecraft Smoke Detector Characterization with Reference and Smoke Aerosols(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Wang, Xiaoliang; Chow, Judith; Watson, John; Meyer, Marit; Ruff, Gary; Easton, John; Berger, Gordon; Mudgett, PaulPerformance testing of consumer smoke detectors requires specific facilities and experiments with smoldering and flaming emissions from different fuels. Smoke detectors for use in spacecraft are tested using similar setups with representative fuel materials. To simplify smoke detector testing, this study explored the use of laboratory-generated reference aerosols as transfer standards to evaluate smoke detector performance. Among the three tested reference aerosols, mineral oil particles were reproducibly generated with a Gemini smoke detector tester, dioctyl sebacate (DOS) particles were generated with a wide concentration range and flexible size distributions using an atomizer, while polystyrene latex (PSL) particles were difficult to produce with the high concentrations needed for smoke detector testing. Reference aerosols generated from 1.5%–100% DOS solutions and mineral oil covered the response range of six types of smoke aerosols generated by oxidative pyrolysis of spacecraft-relevant materials. Although no single reference aerosol can be used to simulate the response of different smoke detection technologies to different smoke aerosols within ±10% error, the relationship between reference and smoke aerosols derived from this study can be used to predict smoke detector responses to combustion aerosols.Item US Navy Submarine Sea Trial of a NASA developed Multi-Gas Monitor(48th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2018-07-08) Mudgett, Paul; Manney, Joshua; Smith, Matthew; Neal, Sara Jane; Pilgrim, JeffreyA Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM) was tested aboard a nuclear submarine during a routine 76 day patrol. NASA’s goal is to study submarines as closed environment analogs to spacecraft and to share development successes with other US government agencies. MGM’s core tunable diode laser spectroscopy technology was developed by Vista Photonics Inc, using Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and expanded for various spacecraft monitoring applications using NASA program funding. The MGM measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and water vapor in ambient air, displays concentrations with temperature and pressure, and stores 30 second moving averages. The sea trial involved locating MGM in a well ventilated area, connecting it to ship power prior to departure, and allowing it run automatically during the entire patrol. Data was stored within MGM for later retrieval. Crew intervention was limited to checking MGM’s display periodically to verify operation. Several weeks after the vessel returned to port, the MGM with its data was retrieved. The paper describes the results of the successful sea trial, comparing MGM data with both Central Atmosphere Monitoring System (CAMS) data and typical International Space Station (ISS) atmosphere ranges measured by a similar MGM during a recent space flight technology demonstration