Measurement of Trace Gases in the Atmosphere of Venus

Southwest Sciences proposes to develop small, lightweight, low power instrumentation for the in situ balloon-borne measurement of several trace gases of importance in the atmosphere of Venus. Using low power vertical cavity diode lasers (VCSELs) at carefully selected wavelengths in the 2400 nm region, the instrument will be capable of simultaneous measurements of carbon monoxide, water vapor, hydrogen fluoride, carbonyl sulfide, and possibly sulfur dioxide. The Phase I effort will concentrate on identifying the best wavelength regions for measurement of multiple trace species with a minimum number of lasers (ideally no more than two), while establishing important design parameters for development of more rugged prototype instrumentation in Phase II.

The primary application of this research is the development of instrumentation for direct use by NASA in planetary measurements, targeting Venus atmospheric measurements. By modification of the design, similar instrumentation could be adapted for other planetary targets, such as atmospheric measurements on Titan or Mars. Other potential NASA applications of similar instrumentation include environmental monitoring on-board the International Space Station or other manned spacecraft.

The instrumentation under development is small, lightweight, and has low power requirements. Instruments based on the same technology could be applied to a broad range of commercial applications in industrial process monitoring, atmospheric chemistry and environmental monitoring, workplace safety monitoring, and medical diagnostic applications.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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