Development of a MEMS preconcentrator (PC) - Gas chromatograph (GC) for the spacecraft atmosphere monitor for ISS and OrION

Abstract

In this paper, we report a MEMS preconcentrator (PC) - gas chromatograph (GC) that is a crucial part of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.). The S.A.M. is a highly miniature gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer (GC-MS) for monitoring the atmosphere of crewed spacecraft for both trace organic compounds and the major constituents of the cabin air. The S.A.M. instrument is the next generation of GC-MS, based on JPL’s Vehicle Cabin Air Monitor (VCAM), which was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2010 and successfully operated for two years [1, 2]. The S.A.M. employs a unique MEMS PC-GC technology that replaces the macro PC-GC unit in the VCAM. We report herein the current progress of the MEMS PC-GC for the S.A.M. instrument.