Regardless of the planetary environment, laser-enabled in situ methods of chemical analysis offer an ideal way to characterize precious sample specimens with high spatial resolution and specificity,…

This contract was awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to the University of Maryland, College Park, a state-controlled institution of higher learning, to conduct research on laser-enabled in-situ methods for chemical analysis of planetary samples. The $208,011.12 grant will fund the development of reproducible, robust, and high-precision detection techniques for organic and inorganic molecules using laser desorption and ablation microprocessing. This research supports NASA's planetary exploration efforts by enabling the analysis of micron-scale geological and compositional features with minimal sample consumption compared to traditional pyrolysis techniques. The work will be performed at the University of Maryland's College Park campus. No set-aside was used for this award.

Regardless of the planetary environment, laser-enabled in situ methods of chemical analysis offer an ideal way to characterize precious sample specimens with high spatial resolution and specificity, and without requiring contact with the sample (reducing the risk of contamination). Laser desorption and ablation microprocessing techniques also support: i) reproducible (highprecision) and robust (well-characterized) detection of organic and inorganic molecules over a wide range in mass, volatility, and ionization energy; II) focused measurements of micron-size targets, such as individual mineral phases, ICE grains, and/or discrete geological strata captured by a sample core; and, III) minimal analytical blanks, resulting in low limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ). Laser sampling is particularly well suited for mass spectrometry and planetary exploration, as such techniques consume orders-of-magnitude smaller quantities of sample (i.e., NG) compared to traditional pyrolysis techniques (i.e., MG), including those executed by the viking, phoenix, and MSL missions. In commercial laboratories, laser desorption and ablation mass spectrometry has a long and successful history of use in the elemental and molecular analysis of solid materials, including planetary analog samples.