Design, characteristics and scientific tasks of the LASMA-LR laser ionization mass spectrometer onboard Luna-25 and Luna-27 space missions

The laser-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer LASMA-LR is part of the scientific payload of the Luna-25 and Luna-27 missions. The instrument is able to perform analysis of elemental and isotopic composition of solid samples (regolith and dust) with high accuracy and high spatial resolution. The principle of the instrument operation consists in complete atomization and ionization of the substance by a laser pulse, separation of ions during their free expansion, depending on their mass and charge, and subsequent registration of the ions time of flight from the sample to the detector. The instrument has small dimensions (130 × 206 × 254 mm), low weight (2.8 kg) and low mean operating power consumption (8 W). The limits of detection for element analysis are at least 50 ppmA (ppm atomic fraction) in one mass spectrum and 5 ppmA at analysis of an accumulation of 100 mass spectra. The scientific data which will be obtained by LASMA-LR can be essential for a wide range of studies, such as the geological characteristics of spacecraft landing sites, analysis of the lunar dust composition, search for rare earth elements, native metals and alloys, determination of the content of chemically bound water in regolith, and others. Achievement of these tasks will contribute to the study of fundamental questions ranging from the formation and evolution history of the Moon to the advancement of a number of applied problems of the Moon exploration and colonization. With the LASMA-LR instrument we have demonstrated that it is possible to provide all these analytical capabilities in a very compact, lightweight and at low power, which lends itself to operational concepts not only for robotic probes landed on the Moon, but also for proposed human spaceflight missions to the Moon and robotic missions to asteroids for the local prospection of mineral resources with a portable device, possibly as equipment carried by astronauts during their surface missions

A New Method and Mass-Spectrometric Instrument for Extraterrestrial Microbial Life Detection Using the Elemental Composition Analyses of Martian Regolith and Permafrost/Ice

We propose a new technique for the detection of microorganisms by elemental composition analyses of a sample extracted from regolith, permafrost, and ice of extraterrestrial bodies. We also describe the design of the ABIMAS instrument, which consists of the onboard time-of-flight laser mass-reflectron (TOF LMR) and the sample preparation unit (SPU) for biomass extraction. This instrument was initially approved to fly on board the ExoMars 2020 lander mission. The instrument can be used to analyze the elemental composition of possible extraterrestrial microbial communities and compare it to that of terrestrial microorganisms. We have conducted numerous laboratory studies to confirm the possibility of biomass identification via the following biomarkers: P/S and Ca/K ratios, and C and N abundances. We underline that only the combination of these factors will allow one to discriminate microbial samples from geological ones. Our technique has been tested experimentally in numerous laboratory trials on cultures of microorganisms and polar permafrost samples as terrestrial analogues for martian polar soils. We discuss various methods of extracting microorganisms and sample preparation. The developed technique can be used to search for and identify microorganisms in different martian samples and in the subsurface of other planets, satellites, comets, and asteroids—in particular, Europa, Ganymede, and Enceladus