J2F ENGINEERING — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: S1

Description

<p>This proposal addresses the issue of sample preparation technologies which can be utilized in ocean world missions to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity in the analyses of collected samples.&nbsp; On Earth, solid phase matrices are utilized extensively for capture, separation, and selective retention of components in the sample analysis process.&nbsp; Utilization of solid phases for similar processes is not yet possible on other world based missions due to a lack of investigations into the compatibility of these materials with space flight and deployment under other world conditions.&nbsp; This Phase I effort seeks to investigate commercially available solid phase substrates for three sample processing methods that would be directly integrated into existing NASA programs; these methods are solid phase extraction (SPE), desalting, and ion exchange.&nbsp; This effort will evaluate the performance of different substrates and surface coatings through stresses expected to be experienced on space deployment.&nbsp; The goal is to determine which substrates/surfaces might be able to play a role in future sample analysis missions that are planned for exploration of ocean worlds.</p>