Miniaturized In Situ Atmospheric Probe Sampling Inlet System for Uranus or Saturn, Phase I

Thorleaf Research's proposed development of a miniaturized in situ atmospheric probe sampling inlet system is focused on meeting future NASA needs. For example, in situ atmospheric probes for both Uranus and Saturn have been given a high priority in NRC's decadal survey, with Uranus selected for a possible Flagship Mission, and Saturn recommended for a possible New Frontiers Mission. Here, Uranus as an ice-giant offers important potential for new discoveries with special relevance for understanding newly discovered exoplanets, and an atmospheric probe for Saturn could be used in testing the helium differentiation hypothesis. For both Uranus and Saturn, determination of the relative abundance of hydrogen, helium, chemical compounds, noble gases and their isotopes can help address fundamental questions about nebular evolution and the origin of the giant-planets in the Solar System. Our sampling inlet system will be especially useful when coupled to NASA/JPL's miniature mass spectrometer technology. Because of our modular design approach, this system can also be adapted to other detectors of interest to NASA, as well as measurements in the atmospheres of the other giant planets and Venus. Analysis of commercial instrumentation markets shows that two of the three major growth areas for analytical instrumentation are real-time analysis and environmental monitoring, with projected annual growth rates of more than 15%. Our modular design approach for the high pressure atmospheric sampling inlet system will help it be adapted for high pressure measurement needs in scientific, energy exploration and environmental monitoring applications. Thus, technical developments in the proposed program could have a significant market impact. More »