Product Presentation

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Sounding Titanic Lake with the TSSM LAKE LANDER
Georgios Bampasidis Athena Coustenis Xenophon
Moussas
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Why NOT Sounding the liquid from the inside?
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Expanding Scientific Goals of the TSSM Lake
Lander

• Improving existing goals
• - Detect and characterise organics of the deeper
  liquid layers
• - Detect the presence of any biomarkers in a
  broader area
• Spectral analysis of liquid material
• Part of Surface Properties Package
• on-board TSSM Lake Lander

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Essential Requirements

• We need a Source inside the liquid
• (IR, because of the low temperature and
  possible chemical composition of the liquid)
• Artificial source
• Light weight devices
• Reduced size
• Reduced cost

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The Concept

• EMITTERS carried by Lake Lander
• RECEIVER aboard Lake Lander
• Release emitters
• at a specific altitude above the lake before the
  landing or/and after the successful landing
• Emit during their way to the lake bottom
• Operate as Many SOURCES

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Phase A The Deployment
Release the IR-Emitters during the Descent Stage
MEMS
Hydrocarbon Lake
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Phase B The Operation
Hydrocarbon Lake
IR Emission
Massively multiple emission from single
independent sources
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Extension
Hydrocarbon Lake
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What kind of device could be used as an emitter?
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Two ways of thinking

• The old reliable technology
• OR
• The new innovative technology

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Consider devices with

• Reduced size
• Reduced cost

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Why NOT MEMS technologies?

• MEMS technologies
• Produce both spectral and blackbody emitters
• Very small size
• Fast pulsing
• (thanks to low mass of the emitter)
• Limitation of low output power
• Reduces thermal mass of the system
• Enhances the modulated performance

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MEMS System
NASA/AMES/Nano Chem Sensor Unit
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What is MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems)

• MEMS is the integration of mechanical elements,
  sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common
  silicon substrate through microfabrication
  technology
• Promising technology
• Low energy consumption

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MEMS configuration

• Size 20 µm to 1 mm
• Costituents CPU and microsensors
• Low cost
• (accelerometers used at car airbags cost
  30)?
• POWER Very Low

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MEMS technics

• MEMS technics for the emitters
• very light weight devices

http//www.photonics.com/Content/ReadArticle.aspx?
ArticleID35272
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Achievements

• 3D profile of the liquid layers
• Bottom topography
• 1st Extraterrestrial Ocean Experiment
• (without terrestrial contamination of the
  instrument)
• Create an exotic database
• Path to possible Prebiotic Chemistry
• Investigate the infrastructure of the liquid
  constituents

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The Receiver
a single device aboard probe
Two Options
a GRID of MEMS sensors
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The Receiver GRID

• Cover the probes bottom surface with a grid
  consisted of MEMS sensors

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The Receiver GRID (II)
Transform the platform to a complete science
facility
No need to be facing vertically downwards to the
emitters
View of the Bottom Surface of the TSSM/Lake Lander
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New Frontiers

• Challenging experiment
• Extraterrestrial Oceanography
• Investment in a future pioneering technology
• Contribution to deeper understanding of Titan's
  methane circle
• Detection of organisms as small as krill (1-2 cm
  arthropoda)?

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MEMS and NASA Nano ChemSensor Unit

• Trace chemicals in space.
• Advantages
• - light and compact
• - lower power
• - higher sensitivity
• - robustness.

NASA/AMES/Nano Chem Sensor Unit
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MEMS and NASA/JPL

• PLANETARY ATMOSPHERIC COMPONET MEASUREMENTS USING
  OSCILLATING MEMS BASED
• (Valek et al., 2007)
• (McComas et al., 2005)
• http//ippw.jpl.nasa.gov/20070607_doc/5_24VALE.pdf

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MEMS and Cryogenics

• MEMS support functioning at cryogenic
  temperatures.

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Questions

• Reliability
• Survive under Titans conditions
• High P, low T, chemical composition
• Survive the long trip to Saturnian System
• Operate AFTER the touchdown
• Depends on the evolution of MEMS technology
• Results of the future experiments

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Contact info

• gbabasid_at_phys.uoa.gr