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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 5)
The “Shared Front-End Sample Pre-Processing (SPP) Technologies for Astrobiology Sample Analysis Instruments on Mars Surface Missions” project seeks to advance technologies for shared front-end sample pre-processing of ice-rich surface and subsurface samples for analytical instruments on future astrobiology missions to Mars in two focus areas:
T1 Gas and Liquid Chemical Preparation and Extraction will develop a Gas and Liquid Extraction Module (GLEM) to process multiple aliquots of cryogenic fines with high ice fraction to interface to bulk analyses of both gas and liquid phases; and
T2 Precision Manipulation for Chemical Imaging and Subsampling will develop a Precision Core Retainer/Manipulator (PCRM) and other intact chip cryogenic sample positioning mechanisms for multiple imaging and chemical micro-analyzers.
The long-term goal of SPP is to enable and optimize common pre-processing capabilities for multiple instruments, provided by science teams across the Mars community, achieving both resource efficiencies and science advantages of shared analytical front-ends. The SPP technology can serve as “astrobiology payload middleware” interfacing both to sample acquisition systems and multiplexed analytical instruments in a variety of configurations.
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