Many portable instruments used for scientific and engineering applications require a means of producing a vacuum with pressures under 1 Torr. Such instruments include mass spectrometers, cooled infrared sensing instruments, microwave spectrometers using Stark cells, instruments containing unsealed low-pressure lasers, trace gas concentration systems, leak detectors, etc. In these instruments the vacuum pump tends to have the greatest mass, volume, power consumption and cost penalties. A lightweight, low power, miniature vacuum roughing pump is expected greatly expand the market for portable analytical instruments.
The need for vacuum pumps to be of small mass and volume and require low power is obvious for space and planetary exploration missions. With recent advances in sensor technology leading to the development of miniature mass spectrometers and other analytical instruments needing high vacuum, there will be many applications for a highly efficient, robust, long-life vacuum pump in future NASA missions.
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