Kurzbeschreibung
(Englisch)
|
This project aims to develop a specialized mass spectrometer system for ESA’s potential role in NASA's designated next flagship mission, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission. The UOP mission will investigate Uranus’s origin, interior, atmosphere, magnetosphere, satellites, and rings. ESA could contribute to this mission by providing an atmospheric probe equipped with a mass spectrometer as its main scientific instrument. This would be similar to the successful experiment carried out by the Galileo probe in 1995, which collected valuable data from Jupiter's atmosphere using a mass spectrometer—a dataset that remains scientifically significant today.
Our goal is to design, build, and test a laboratory prototype of a mass spectrometer system that integrates our time-of-flight mass spectrometer with advanced vacuum and gas handling subsystems. The system's design is driven by the unique environmental and operational constraints and the scientific goals of the Uranus Orbiter and Probe. To address the former, the design will incorporate a sophisticated plumbing subsystem with gas sample inlets, exhausts, gas handling components, pressure regulators, and pumps. This setup will ensure that the mass spectrometer operates effectively across a pressure range of 10-7 mbar – 20 bars encountered by the probe. To meet the mission’s science goals, we will pre-process the gas samples by removing dominant constituents such as hydrogen and helium, enabling accurate measurement of minor constituents including heavy noble gases and critical isotope ratios. Preliminary studies indicate furthermore that a reference gas calibration subsystem is essential for determination of the most challenging isotope ratios while a tunable diode laser spectrometer would significantly improve accuracy and offer independent validation of the measurements.
Over the past few years, we have developed a comprehensive mass spectrometer system that incorporates all the necessary components. However, this design is still in the conceptual phase, and our goal now is to advance it into a functional laboratory prototype. While we have in-house expertise in gas handling and separation, reference gas calibration units, and mass spectrometry, this project marks the first time we will integrate these elements into a single, cohesive system. Securing funding for this transition will position Switzerland as a key contributor to ESA’s involvement in NASA’s next flagship mission, showcasing our capabilities and enhancing our competitiveness in the global space research community. This project will not only underscore the strong European interest in such a collaboration but also place Switzerland at the forefront of this international effort.
|
Projektziele
(Englisch)
|
The objective of this proposal is to transform the concept into a functional laboratory prototype that will serve as a platform for mission preparation studies. This development will demonstrate UniBE's expertise in building mass spectrometer systems for high-density atmospheres, enhance our competitiveness in the global space research community, and serve as a proof-of-concept for the future Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission call.
|
