Development of a programmable UV laser source for the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS)

Abstract

NASA’s Dragonfly mission will sample surface materials from multiple sites on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in exploration of its potential for prebiotic chemistry. We are developing and delivering a compact pulsed UV laser transmitter, developed in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, capable of directing programmable 266 nm pulse energies to a small sample of surface material for laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) performed by the on-board Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS). The mail goal for this effort was to develop a flight-capable, two-part design, employing a remotely located fiber coupled pumping source, and a UV transmitter unit that can operate in short bursts with minimal change in laser pulse characteristics such as beam quality, pointing, energy, and pulse width. The DraMS UV source will require a 7+ year transit to the Saturn system; where upon deployment on Titan’s surface, must demonstrate a combination of survivability, reliability, operational capability, and performance yet developed in a flight-qualified solid-state laser transmitter. Once Dragonfly is safely operational, the Titan Hydrocarbon Analysis Nanosecond Optical Source (THANOS) UV laser will perform for 3+ years in Titan’s extreme surface and atmospheric conditions in several locations.