Backpack SEM, Phase I

The Backpack SEM will be of enormous value to field scientists, engineers and experts who rely on electron microscopes to conduct their studies. Often, field researchers must "guess and check" on which samples to collect. It may take days or weeks to determine if the samples were chosen correctly. Even the correct samples can be subject to the vagaries of field research: samples can be damaged, can degrade with time, and they can be lost or mislabeled. Taking a SEM image of the samples in the field, when changes can be made or mistakes corrected, can save weeks or months of time for a project. Virtually any field researcher who uses a SEM could benefit from having one in the field during sample collection. This is especially true for researchers who travel to remote locations. Therefore, the most likely first-adopters of the Backpack SEM are geologists, biologists, earth scientists and archeologists. Engineers or forensic experts who examine infrastructure (bridges, buildings, etc.) may also want to have a SEM in the field with them during data collection. NASA researchers collect samples in remote areas such as Antarctica or Mars. On nearly every mission, taking pictures is a primary goal. After optical cameras, SEMs are the most-used scientific imaging tool. NASA researchers use SEMs to image virtually any solid sample they collect. This project will make it possible to bring a SEM to remote field locations where NASA scientists collect data. As such, every field research team at NASA that uses a laboratory SEM is a potential customer for this technology. These teams include, but are not limited to, planetary geologists studying Martian dust and Titan's organic "dunes", astrobiologists analyzing extremophiles from hydrothermal vents, and paleoclimatologists tracking climate change in pollen and volcanic ash. More »