Gas chromotographic instrumentation for the analysis of aerosols and gases in Titan's atmosphere

Details Gas chromotographic instrumentation for the analysis of aerosols and gases in Titan's atmosphere Gas chromotographic instrumentation for the analysis of aerosols and gases in Titan's atmosphere

Sep 1987

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987jgr....92.e723s&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 92, Issue B4, p. E723-E728

Physics

Scientific paper

During the next decade or so, NASA, in conjunction with the European Space Agency, plans to send a spacecraft to the Saturnian system so that local studies of Saturn and its satellite, Titan, can be made. In order to study the atmosphere of Titan, analyses of both aerosols and gases will have to be made. To accomplish this, gas chromoographic instrumentation for the collection and analysis of organic gases and aerosols in Titan's atmosphere is being developed. The aerosols will be collected and then subjected to pyrolysis-gas chromatography. Results using a simple pyrolysis-GC system and tholin, made by subjecting a nominal Titan mixture (96.8% N2, 3% CH4, 0.2% H2) to laser-supported shocks, show that many compounds, including hydrocarbons and simple nitriles, can be identified by this technique. Atmospheric gases will be collected using large volume (>10 cm3) sample loops and then analyzed by gas chromatography. Large volume samples are required because the ambient pressures, were the probe instruments are first deployed, will be low (<10 mbar). Preliminary studies using a 20 cm3 sampling system and a very sensitive meta-stable ionization detector show that hydrocarbon components at the 10 ppb level can be detected. Work will continue to improve GC sensitivity, minimize analysis time, and develop interfaces with suitable sample collectors for analysis of atmospheres by future spacecraft.

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