Standoff ultracompact micro-Raman sensor for planetary surface explorations

Standoff ultra-compact micro-Raman (SUCR) sensor for lunar surface exploration

The Raman characterization results of lunar relevant simulants, including liquid water, ice, and organics using NASA Langley developed standoff ultra-compact micro-Raman (SUCR) sensor are presented. The SUCR sensor is designed as an instrument applicable for future lunar surface operations. The SUCR is equipped to be mounted on a lunar lander's platform or on a rover's robotic arm for close Raman inspection of mixed samples on the lunar surface, including mapping the mineralogy, determining water ice distribution, and identifying frozen volatiles. It enables a critical in-situ measurement for future sample return missions by identifying the highest-value samples for return within the vicinity of the lunar Aitken basin. The outcome of this study allows this sensor to be suitable to investigate the variety of mixed lunar samples and in the process helps understand the habitability of the lunar south pole, where there is a broader emphasis on surface chemistry, mineralogy, and geology. In this article, we report the ability of the SUCR sensor to characterize and identify samples, for example, water/ice, sulfur/naphthalene, lunar simulant sample containing pyroxene, plagioclase, and olivine minerals, and in addition to Raman scan map of mixed sulfur, glutamine, and naphthalene.

Remote Raman Detection of Trace Explosives by Laser Beam Focusing and Plasmonic Spray Enhancement Methods

Remote Raman spectroscopy is a technique that can detect and identify different target molecules through Raman vibrational modes from a remote distance. However, the current remote Raman technique is restricted by poor detection sensitivity, and it is still extremely challenging for trace explosive detection. Here, in order to achieve trace explosive detection from a remote distance, we innovatively propose two enhanced Raman spectroscopy methods by using a plasmonic spray and a laser beam focusing/Raman signal collecting instrument. In brief, a facile convex lens can converge the laser beam and collect Raman scattering signals, and a plasmonic spray can be used for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Under the combination of the above enhancement methods, we achieve remote Raman detection of a variety of trace explosives with a concentration of ∼1 μg/cm² from a distance of 30 m. These novel methods demonstrate a simple approach that significantly improves the capability of remote detection of trace chemicals for further applications.

A Remote Raman System and Its Applications for Planetary Material Studies

A remote Raman prototype with a function of excitation energy adjusting for the purpose of obtaining a Raman signal with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), saving power consumption, and possibly avoiding destroying a target by high energy pulses, which may have applications for Chinese planetary explorations, has been setup and demonstrated for detecting different minerals. The system consists of a spectrograph equipped with a thermoelectrically cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) detector, a telescope with 150 mm diameter and 1500 mm focus length, and a compact 1064 nm Nd:YAG Q-switched laser with an electrical adjusted pulse energy from 0 to 200 mJ/pulse. A KTP crystal was used for second harmonic generation in a 1064 nm laser to generate a 532 nm laser, which is the source of Raman scatting. Different laser pulse energies and integration time were used to obtain distinguishable remote Raman spectra of various samples. Results show that observed remote Raman spectra at a distance of 4 m enable us to identify silicates, carbonates, sulfates, perchlorates, water/water ice, and organics that have been found or may exist on extraterrestrial planets. Detailed Raman spectral assignments of the measured planetary materials and the feasible applications of remote Raman system for planetary explorations are discussed.

Dual-wavelength wide area illumination Raman difference spectroscopy for remote detection of chemicals

Remote Raman instruments have become powerful analytical tools in some special environments. However, ambient daylight is the main limitation in the data acquisition process. To suppress daylight background interference and obtain a high signal-to-background ratio (SBR), we develop a dual-wavelength wide area illumination Raman difference spectroscopy (WAIRDS) system for daytime remote detection. In the WAIRDS system, a wide area illumination scheme and shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy method are used to improve the reliability of collected Raman spectra. Measurements of polystyrene indicate that the WAIRDS system can be operated to obtain background-free Raman spectra under different levels of daylight background interference. The remote results show that the improvement in SBR is about three- to fivefold, and the system can work at distances of up to 9.2 m on a sunny afternoon. Moreover, to be close to the actual detection, the system is used for mineral and explosive raw material detection during daytime measurement. Measurements show that the WAIRDS system will be a useful tool for many remote applications in the future.

Backscattering Raman spectroscopy using multi-grating spatial heterodyne Raman spectrometer

Spatial heterodyne Raman spectrometry (SHRS) is a spectral analysis technique used to study material structures and compositions. We propose a multi-grating SHRS system that uses a multi-grating module rather than the single grating used to terminate each arm in traditional spatial heterodyne spectrometry (SHS). The proposed system not only retains the advantages of traditional SHS but also resolves the mutual limitation between system spectral range and resolution. The increased spectral range and resolution that can be achieved in detection are dependent on the number of sub-gratings used in the module. A verification system was built using 130 gr/mm and 150 gr/mm sub-gratings and calibrated. Under different experimental conditions (including laser power, integration time, container material and thickness, pure and mixed samples, and standoff experiments), the backscattered Raman spectra of different types of targets (including organic solutions, inorganic powders, and minerals) were tested. The multi-grating SHRS shows good performance for broad spectral range and high-resolution Raman detection.

Venus' Spectral Signatures and the Potential for Life in the Clouds

The lower cloud layer of Venus (47.5-50.5 km) is an exceptional target for exploration due to the favorable conditions for microbial life, including moderate temperatures and pressures (∼60°C and 1 atm), and the presence of micron-sized sulfuric acid aerosols. Nearly a century after the ultraviolet (UV) contrasts of Venus' cloud layer were discovered with Earth-based photographs, the substances and mechanisms responsible for the changes in Venus' contrasts and albedo are still unknown. While current models include sulfur dioxide and iron chloride as the UV absorbers, the temporal and spatial changes in contrasts, and albedo, between 330 and 500 nm, remain to be fully explained. Within this context, we present a discussion regarding the potential for microorganisms to survive in Venus' lower clouds and contribute to the observed bulk spectra. In this article, we provide an overview of relevant Venus observations, compare the spectral and physical properties of Venus' clouds to terrestrial biological materials, review the potential for an iron- and sulfur-centered metabolism in the clouds, discuss conceivable mechanisms of transport from the surface toward a more habitable zone in the clouds, and identify spectral and biological experiments that could measure the habitability of Venus' clouds and terrestrial analogues. Together, our lines of reasoning suggest that particles in Venus' lower clouds contain sufficient mass balance to harbor microorganisms, water, and solutes, and potentially sufficient biomass to be detected by optical methods. As such, the comparisons presented in this article warrant further investigations into the prospect of biosignatures in Venus' clouds.