ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) was the first mission that accompanied a comet over a substantial fraction of its orbit.
Mass Spectrometer
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) Will Study Complex Chemistry On Titan
A new NASA mission to Saturn’s giant moon, Titan, is due to launch in 2027. When it arrives in the mid-2030s, it will begin a journey of discovery that could […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Method for Accurate Detection of Amino Acids and Mycotoxins in Planetary Atmospheres
We present a systematic analysis of a large number of mass spectra accumulated as the number of ion fragments recorded in unit mass-to-charge detector channels.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
SwRI Delivers MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration (MASPEX) For Europa Clipper
A groundbreaking new mass spectrometer designed and built by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been delivered for integration onto NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft.
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
ORIGIN Mass Spectrometer
The question of whether life exists beyond the Earth is one of humanity’s most fundamental questions. Future NASA missions, for example, aim to examine the ice moons of Jupiter and […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Press Release
Building A Mass Spectrometer To Land on Europa
An instrument originally developed to search for organic molecules on Mars is being repurposed to potentially hunt for life on a handful of moons in the outer solar system that […]