Focused LIBS for Elements in Water Identification (FLEW.ID)

Our innovation, Focused LIBS for Elements in Water IDentification (FLEW.ID), is a compact, cost-effective, and sensitive instrument for monitoring the elemental composition of aqueous solutions in plant growth systems on-board the International Space Station (ISS). FLEW.ID utilizes a miniaturized, low-pulse energy laser for performing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements that, when coupled with a compact optical assembly and spectrometer system, enables reductions in instrument size, weight, and power (SWaP) conducive to accommodation on the ISS for direct integration with currently-operating and/or future proposed plant growth systems. The enhanced benefit of FLEW.ID is that it is application agnostic, and therefore can be used for analyzing other fluid systems on the ISS such as in the closed-loop Water Recovery Systemor on future habitats on planetary surfaces. Current state-of-the art elemental monitoring in plant research systems involves taking liquid samples, returning them to Earth, and performing high sensitivity analysis in the laboratory. As these procedures are costly in terms of time and money, new technologies must be developed to enable in-situ elemental analysis of liquids to support the rapid development of plant research in space. FLEW.ID takes advantage miniaturized optoelectronic architectures to perform in-situ, on-demand, near-real-time spectroscopic elemental analysis of liquid samples in a low-SWaP package. FLEW.ID can perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of the elemental composition of fluids and can be directly interfaced with plant growth systems without the need for any sampling nor consumables.​ The goals of Phase II are to (1) advance the sensitivity of the Phase I instrument breadboard, (2) design, assemble, test, verify and validate a TRL 5 FLEW.ID engineering brass board (EBB), (3) design a TRL 6 engineering model (EM), and (4) advance FLEW.ID towards commercialization and ISS deployment. Phase II has the following objectives:​ Advance sensitivity of Phase I breadboard. We explore alternative optical architectures and test additional samples to demonstrate improved sensitivity to key elements/ions of interest.​ Design, assemble, and test FLEW.ID EBB. We design the EBB, then assemble and test instrument metrics (engineering) and test relevant samples (science) to assess EBB sensitivity.​ Design FLEW.ID EM. We compile test results, perform trade studies, and design a TRL 6 instrument concept, including SWaP estimates, for integration into a plant growth system on board the ISS.​ Advance FLEW.ID towards post-Phase II activities. We develop our commercialization plan and explore microgravity testing options to continue FLEW.ID instrument development.​ Our Phase II deliverables are: (1) design and test reports (engineering, science) at key development milestones, (2) a TRL 6 instrument design for in-situ liquid analysis on board the ISS, and (3) commercialization and future test (e.g. microgravity) plans for FLEW.ID development post-Phase II.​

FLEW.ID enables on-demand, in-situ, real-time elemental analysis of fluid samples in plant growth systems for qualitative and quantitative analysis of nutrient cycling. When integrated into a plant growth system on the ISS, FLEW.ID can provide online analysis without any sampling nor consumables. FLEW.ID is application agnostic and can be readily adapted to measuring other fluid systems, such as the closed-loop water recycling system on board the ISS, or solid samples, such as geological samples during planetary exploration. ​ FLEW.ID can perform in-situ analysis of heavy metals and ionic contaminants in public water systems for early pollution detection and continuous monitoring to ensure the maximum contaminate levels (MCLs) are not exceeded that may negatively impact public health.​

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