부산대학교 도서관

The Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) onboard NASA's Dragonfly mission will analyze the composition of samples collected from the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. The Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry (LDMS) mode of DraMS will examine ions produced directly from powders delivered and maintained at cryogenic temperatures not to exceed 175 K. To perform flight-like laboratory testing of this mode, we have developed a protocol for preparing and analyzing Titan analog samples at low temperatures with a cooled sample stage. Ice powder samples were prepared using liquid nitrogen, transferred to an actively cooled sample holder, and analyzed at sub-ambient pressure. Initial LDMS results on selected frozen organics in water and ammonia-water (NH 3 -H 2 O) ice powders are reported here. Results demonstrate the capability of DraMS LDMS cryogenic sample analysis and its potential to significantly contribute to Titan exploration.