SATPC0033644 Tab 04 4 SOW.pdf

Primary Point-of-Contact:

Name: Heather Graham Organization Code: 691 Telephone Number: 301-949-5193 e-mail Address: heather.v.graham@nasa.gov

PR 4200833386

Background:

Agnostic biosignature research is a new field within astrobiology and life detection focused on tools and techniques that identify features in natural systems that would not arise due to abiotic processes. This research relies on pristine understanding of non- biological systems and detection methods that can identify sometimes subtle signals of energetic input in physical and chemical systems. A subtle component of this array of possible measurements is the reality that contamination knowledge is no longer a known, targetable quantity. Previous mission data collection architectures can assign priority analytes of interest and their required limits as part of the process of assembling instrumentation. In biosignature interpretation schemes where the analyte is a function of the context this is not possible. For this reason the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Agnostic Collaboration has developed the OOBLECK (Organic and Organismal Backgrounds for Life Evaluation and Contamination Knowledge) project. This work provides a catalog of typical contaminants that can be considered as part of instrument design as well as data interpretation, when considering agnostic biosignature frameworks.

This work requires precise analysis of fleetingly rare airborne contaminants collected in cleanroom suites. The sensitivity for these measurements requires ultra-high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Our investigations also point to the need for better sample collection and introduction for these systems.

Scope of Work:

This Statement of Work (SOW) defines tasks to provide a direct tube-to-trap thermal desorption unit at (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GFSC). This is intended to ensure the delivery of an analytical instrument suite that can provide air sampling and materials emissions analysis for non-targeted analysis on high resolution instrumentation.

The Gerstel Thermal Desorption Unit 3.5 is a versatile instrument which would allow for a range of measurements including direct sample extraction and thermal desorption from minimal amounts of either solids or liquid and headspace analysis. This unit performs sample preparation steps such as Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and Solid Phase MicroExtraction (SPME) in addition to extraction, dilution and filtration in a controlled reproducible manner. Unlike other pyrolysis units available on Center, the Gerstel TDU performs an initial low temperature thermal desorption of volatile compounds that are then cryofocused in a cool injection system before entering the GC/MS, yielding a cleaner more interpretable chromatogram of lower mass compounds.

This instrumentation would be immediately useful for analysis of absorbent materials (Radiello cartridges) designed for trapping small, volatile organic compounds generally below the mass range amenable to SPME. This technique is being used to sample glovebox exhaust gases during the curation and basic characterization tasks on the Bennu sample collected by OSIRIS-REx. The TD 3.5+ can also accommodate Thin Film SPME, an extraction technique that offers faster analyses and higher sensitivity for both liquid and atmospheric samples and could be implemented as part of the Bennu curation sampling effort. The TD 3.5+ can also be used to analyze gases desorbed from custom absorbent material, the Molecular Adsorber Coating, produced by colleagues in the Contamination and Thermal Coatings Branch. This material was designed for contamination knowledge during hardware bake-out and vacuum experiments.

These materials can serve as a general gauge of outgassing in a variety of settings and the molecular specificity of the materials is still an active area of research.

Description of Work:

GER 021377-999-02, GER 015740-905-02, GER 020699-780-00, GER 010871-780-00, GER

018684-000-00, GER GI GC KIT, GER GT 1000-ST1, GER GS 1600-02, GER 020586-010-00, GER GS 1900-01

Deliverables:

Items will be delivered to B34:C174 at NASA Goddard and installed