In Situ Analysis of Organic Material with a Portable Mass Spectrometer

Abstract

We have tested a portable mass spectrometer (MS) system, the Mini 10.5, for in situ applications, including the analysis of volatile organic hydrocarbons (VOC's) and water soluble organic components extracted from solid material using an wetchemistry automated sample processing system (WASP). By doing so, we intend to demonstrate the utility of in situ analysis compared to sample acquisition and return for analysis on future robotic space missions.