Miniaturization of Airborne Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy Instrument

New measurement technologies are required to support science campaigns to better quantify rapid changes in the Earth atmosphere system. A key factor in this heightened focus on risk and uncertainty is the growing recognition that the climate is changing far more rapidly than was thought just five years ago. Aurora Flight Sciences and Harvard University propose to miniaturize the Harvard Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (ICOS) instrument for use in the unique reel-down payload pod of the "StratoCruiser", a proposed propulsive high-altitude balloon gondola. Combining the persistence of balloon platforms, the vertical measurements of soundings, and the mobility of aircraft the StratoCruiser will enable new understanding of stratospheric phenomenon. The focus of the proposed effort will be to enhance the StratoCruiser reel-down payload capability through size, weight, and/or power (SWaP) reduction in the dual laser, 50 cm cell, ICOS instrument. The soundings from the StratoCruiser ICOS-based observing system provide laboratory quality, in situ detection of radicals, isotopes, ozone, reactive intermediates, long-lived tracers and condensed and vapor phase H2O and HDO over the US for a period of 4-6 weeks.

Aurora Flight Sciences and Harvard University have proposed the Airborne Stratospheric Climate Coupled Convective Catalytic Chemistry Experiment North America (ASC5ENA) mission to the NASA Earth Venture initiative. The ICOS instrument and the reel-down facility on the StratoCruiser are both centric to this study and represent the first path of commercialization for the proposed work. The ICOS instrument is broadly useful. The instruments versatility to detect a variety of compounds means it is useful for a large variety of climate studies but size is a limiting factor that drives up mission cost. The proposed SBIR effort will ensure the instrument is compatible with a variety of platforms including the WB-57, ER-2 but will also extend the instrument to smaller unmanned platforms. Expanding the ICOS suitability for other smaller platforms through SWaP reduction will enable lower-cost observation campaigns for a variety of scientific goals moving forward.

The primary application for the ICOS instrument is scientific studies of atmospheric chemistry and the climate. The primary non-NASDA avenues for commercialization will be to provide this miniaturized instrument to other researchers. That said the instrument is an excellent detector of a wide variety of compounds including HCl, NO2, CO, HDO, CO2, CH4, N2O, C2H6, H2, and O3. This makes it useful for applications including biomedical evaluations of breath. The team will explore these applications to determine the market for commercialization of a biomedical ICOS instrument.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.