Sterilizing Heat Infrared Emitting LED Device (SHIELD)

Planetary science missions are becoming more stringent and complex, leading to equally complex Planetary Protection (PP) requirements. Limited funding for PP technology development has made meeting these requirements challenging. Moreover, as demonstrated on Mars2020, the detection and validation of biosignatures require sterile tools for collection, storage, and end-to-end processing. In addition, many upcoming missions to icy moons and sample return missions will require clean instrumentation to ensure reliable and valid science measurements. Microbial contamination is present on the spacecraft from general manufacturing, assembly and testing operations and will remain part of the mission lifecycle unless removed by sterilization techniques. Existing ground-based PP countermeasures include mechanical cleaning, dry heat microbial reduction (DHMR), and biobarriers all of which will be still susceptible to recontamination during assembly rework and launch recontamination. To satisfy this requirement, we propose to build the Sterilizing Heat Infrared Emitting LED Device (SHIELD) to sterilize a variety of sample containers (e.g. sample tubes/canisters), return hardware (orbiting sample (OS)), and other sample-intimate hardware (e.g., scoops, drills). Most importantly, incorporation of SHIELD will dramatically reduce time, labor, and costs related to sterilization implementation, and reduce post-launch recontamination that may interfere with life detection instrumentation. In-flight sterilization capabilities have already been requested for future Mars Sample Return (MSR) break-the-chain, making this technology development urgent for multiple NASA objectives. SHIELD would be the first in-flight sterilization system for robotic exploration and a cutting-edge technology demonstration of UV LEDs for in-flight microbial reduction. SHIELD is tailored to multiple forthcoming Planetary Science Missions focused on life detection highlighted in the 2023-2032 decadal strategy (e.g., MSR and New Frontiers). As recently highlighted in the Planetary Science and Astrobiology decadal for 2023-2032 [Origins, Worlds, and Life 2022], strategies and new technology development for PP remains an open and critical field of research. Specifically, "attention needs to be given to controlling the possible introduction of contaminants for PP bioburden that may confound measurements at concentrations that might interfere with the scientific exploration of planetary bodies". In conjunction, "development of technologies enabling access to pristine/unmodified materials, ocean materials, and subsurface zones is necessary for priority future missions targeting…ocean worlds, particularly those searching for evidence of life" (NASEM 2019a). SHIELD has already been advanced to TRL-4 through earlier PP research funding after our team successfully developed and tested a prototype of SHIELD under both ambient and vacuum applications. This included a test matrix where UV and heat resistant spore forming organisms were subjected to different combinations of temperatures and UV doses (with different wavelengths).Our approach for MatISSE is to further develop and integrate components that have been elevated to TRL 5+ such as UV LEDs (TRL 9, ISS Veggie system), heaters (TRL 9, standard for flight), pneumatic dust removal system (TRL 6, PlanetVac and LISTER slated for launch and operation in 2024), and a validation system consisting of cameras (TRL 8, Boson FLIR Thermal Camera) and dosimeters (TRL 9, ISS dosimeters that monitor radiation levels and exposure). Heat has been used extensively at NASA and is a gold standard for sterilization. UV has been used for disinfection and water treatment on the ISS. It allows installation flexibility, mass reduction and "no touch" sterilization approach. The pneumatic dust removal system will remove particle and regolith during operations. The verification system was selected to confirm temperature and UV dose.

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