Maturation of a Compact LIBS Spectrometer for Lunar Investigations

SCIENCE OBJECTIVES We propose to advance from TRL 4 to TRL 6 the Lunar-LIBS Elemental Analyses and Detection (2LEAD) instrument, a compact laser-induced breakdown spectrometer (LIBS) for characterizing elemental content in rock and regolith samples. Envisioned as a critical science instrument for small lunar landers, rovers and hoppers, 2LEAD would provide ground-truth characterization and information regarding the distribution of critical lunar elements in locations of high interest, such as any future CLPS and Artemis landing sites. Measuring elemental concentrations—particularly Si, Fe, Al, Ti, Mg, and K—is critical to determine the rock type and infer the formation process. Thus, 2LEAD would play an integral role in the future of landed lunar missions and lunar ISRU. STATE-OF-THE-ART This DALI effort leverages significant prior development of 2LEAD and key components, including NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards and funding from Washington University in St. Louis. 2LEAD is an advancement over the state of the art (e.g., ChemCam/SuperCam on Mars) in three fundamental ways: (1) it is designed bottom-up around the accommodation requirements of small rovers and landers, targeting missions under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, and designed to be delivered under the schedule and time constraints of CLPS missions; (2) 2LEAD uses an active laser beam steering technology developed by our team under several SBIRs. Beam steering eliminates the requirement for a spacecraft to provide a mast or turret for mapping. 2LEAD can the acquire 20x20 cm microscale LIBS elemental maps at 1 m distance, with anticipated 1 mm/pixel resolution and detection limits targeting 1 wt.%. (2-5 ppm for Th and Ba), (3) lower size, weight, and power (SWaP) due to integrated mapping optoelectronics, its cur-rent mass (<9 kg) is already smaller than Mars LIBS systems and will decrease with development. Further, our thermal design is based on expected temperature conditions provided by a lunar rover. METHODOLOGY Based on these prior development efforts, we assign the entry TRL of 2LEAD for DALI to be a solid TRL 4. During this three-year project we will execute engineering development and scientific validation efforts to advance 2LEAD to TRL 6. Specifically, we will: 1) design, assemble, and functionally test a TRL 6 2LEAD engineering brassboard; 2) perform environmental testing, including thermal vacuum testing under simulated lunar conditions, and shock/vibration testing; and 3) analyze samples relevant to the target environment. Among the 2LEAD tasks proposed to this DALI program, we will ruggedize the optical and optomechanical housing of the instrument to be suitable for vacuum and lunar surface conditions. We will mature and demonstrate the operations concept for rapid mapping of rocks and regolith at high spatial resolutions. We will mature the command and data handling and power distribution electronics, including software development for autonomous analysis algorithms for on-board data processing. RELEVANCE The proposed work is relevant to the objectives of the DALI program by advancing the development of the 2LEAD instrument from TRL 4 to TRL 6. 2LEAD is suitable for small robotic platforms including rovers, landers, and hoppers, commensurate with accommodation requirements for science payloads under NASA CLPS opportunities, and responsive to the Artemis Science Definition Team. Therefore, this project will position 2LEAD for near-term flight opportunities without significant additional development, providing a key scientific instrument for CLPS, New Frontiers, Discovery, and SIMPLEx missions to lunar targets. Applications exist beyond the Moon to locations including Mars, Ceres, and near-Earth asteroids. In addition to planetary exploration, 2LEAD has great utility in lunar resource detection (ISRU), and therefore supports near and long-term goals relating to human exploration of the Moon.

Improved scientific instruments for future Lunar science missions.

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