Gas Analysis for Life Explorers (GALE)

Rapid and robust in situ chemical analysis of complex mixtures is critical for characterizing habitable environments and searching for biosignatures in the solar system. Analysis of these chemical mixtures requires a separation device, such as a gas chromatograph (GC), that can partition them into individual components prior to introduction into sensitive detectors, such as mass spectrometers (MS). Planetary missions with GCs, including Viking, Pioneer Venus, Cassini/Huygens, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), and Rosetta/Philae, have revolutionized our understanding of other planetary surfaces and atmospheres. Yet, these GC systems were composed of large capillary tubing (100's of µm internal diameter and 10's of m of length coiled on a central housing), requiring bulky structural support, thermal isolation, and high heat rates and loads, placing significant demands on mass and power. The Gas Analysis for Life Explorers (GALE) is a low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) silicon chip-based micro-GC (µGC) capable of separating a wide range of molecular targets, suitable for numerous planetary science missions, including those to high priority life detection targets (e.g., Encaladus, Mars, etc.). Our primary scientific goal is the separation of three different families of apolar compounds on a single µGC column coated with an apolar stationary phase. Those families include hydrocarbons (e.g., n-alkanes), fatty acids (e.g., methylated to increase volatility), and amino acids (e.g., silylated with a derivatization reagent to enhance volatility). GALE would significantly reduce resources required on a constrained payload power and mass budget, especially for high-priority decadal-recommended outer solar system Flagship missions including Enceladus Orbilander and Uranus Orbiter/Probe. The proposed objectives include: Objective 1: Model, design, and fabricate a silicon chip-based µGC with integrated heaters, coat the column with a stationary phase, and package the µGC into a stand-alone gas separation system. Objective 2: Demonstrate a proof-of-concept separation for three series of organic molecules that are relevant to planetary exploration using the prototype µGC chip connected to benchtop sample injector and detector. Objective 3: Expand on Objective 1 and design a stackable 3-channel µGC system, GALE, capable of targeting diverse molecular classes for multiple solar system missions. The design will be fabricated and tested in future instrument maturation or mission proposals. The proposed work is directly relevant to the PICASSO program to "support the development of spacecraft-based instrument components and systems that would enhance or enable the scientific return from future planetary missions." Through this investigation, we will advance the flight readiness of the next generation µGC instruments which can fully replace the state-of-the-flight GC designs, enhance gas sampling modularity, enable diverse classes of planetary missions, and reduce programmatic risks. Moreover, the successful demonstration and flight maturation of our µGC instrument with a future MatISSE proposal will enable a direct infusion into future Flagship or New Frontiers 6 missions, especially to high priority science targets identified in the decadal survey, such as Enceladus and Uranus.

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