Project Title:

A TEOM Particulate Monitor for Comet and Planetary Atmospheres

08.03-4520
A TEOM Particulate Monitor for Comet and Planetary Atmospheres
Rupprecht & Patashnick Co Inc.
17 Maple Road, Box 330
Voorheesville
NY
12186
Rupprecht
George 
NAS7-962
Amount:   
JPL
NAS7-941

Abstract:

   Future missions to comets and planetary atmospheres require particulatemonitoring instrumentation to fulfill a number of scientific and engineering measurement
needs.  This project involves an investigation to characterize and expand the particulate
measurement capabilities of TEOM  instrumentation.  The results of the Phase I effort
demonstrated that vacuum compatible tapered elements (the mass detecting component
of the system) could be produced to achieve a mass resolution in the 10-12 g region.

The groundwork laid in Phase I will be extended in Phase II to further improve the
sensitivity of the instrument and to develop fabrication procedures to increase yield
and uniformity.  A further objective is to test these devices under space simulated
conditions with controlled particulate fluxes.

To accomplish these objectives, additional work on the reduction of the electronic
noise is planned.  Futhermore, the production of
 these devices must be elevated from current laboratory fabrication techniques to
standardized manufacturing procedures.  This also involves the definition of meaningful
test procedures and the establishment of a quality control program to insure consistent
and reliable performance levels.  It is also planned to develop a facility to produce
a particulate flux in vacuum to provide test data for the instrument under a simulated
comet mission environ-ment.