The JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) is a full-time, continuously operating event monitor designed to detect air contamination from spills and leaks in the crew habitat in the International Space Station. It fills the long-standing gap between onboard alarms and complex analytical instruments. ENose provides rapid, early identification and quantification of atmospheric changes caused by chemical species to which it has been trained. ENose can also be used to monitor cleanup processes after a leak or a spill

Homer, Margie L.

Ryan, Margaret A.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Acronym: ENose  
 
Payload Title:  JPL Electronic Nose  
 
Principal Investigator(s):  
Margaret A. Ryan, Ph. D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA  
 
Co-Investigator(s)\Collaborator(s):  
Margie L. Homer, Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA  
 
Contact(s):  
PI - M. A. Ryan, (818) 354-8028 
Primary (Instrument Manager) - Carol R. Lewis, (818) 354-3767 
Secondary (Co-Investigator) - Margie L. Homer, (818) 354-5114 
 
Mailing Address(es): 
M. A. Ryan 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
4800 Oak Grove Drive 
Mail Stop 198-235 
Pasadena, CA 91109 
 
Margie Homer 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
4800 Oak Grove Drive  
Mail Stop 198-235 
Pasadena, CA 91109 
 
Developer(s): Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA  
Sponsoring Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 
 
Increment(s) Assigned: 18, 19, 20  
 
Brief Research Summary (PAO): The JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) is a full-time, continuously operating 
event monitor designed to detect air contamination from spills and leaks in the crew habitat in the 
International Space Station. It fills the long-standing gap between onboard alarms and complex analytical 
instruments. ENose provides rapid, early identification and quantification of atmospheric changes caused 
by chemical species to which it has been trained. ENose can also be used to monitor cleanup processes 
after a leak or a spill.  
Research Summary:  
• Many air quality problems are known to have occurred on numerous International Space Station 
(ISS), MIR and Space Shuttle flights. In most of these events, the problem chemical(s) were 
either never identified or were identified only after the crew had been exposed to it. These 
represent health and safety risks to the crewmembers. 
• No instrument currently exists on board the ISS to detect and quantify chemical leaks or spills in 
real time; ENose is designed to help reduce risks associated with crewmember exposure to toxic 
or dangerous chemicals. 
• The JPL ENose atmospheric event monitor can provide rapid, early identification and 
quantification of target chemicals. Target chemical species for the ISS technology demonstration 
include leaks or spills of selected compounds such as organic solvents, freon, mercury, sulfur 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20090014802 2019-08-30T06:35:16+00:00Z
dioxide, and possibly marker chemicals which signal the beginnings of electrical fires. The JPL 
ENose can be also used to monitor cleanup processes after a spill or leak has occurred. 
Detailed Research Description: The JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) is an array-based sensing system 
which contains 32 conductometric sensors. The Second Generation ENose was trained to detect, identify 
and quantify 21 chemical species, the majority of which are organic solvents or commonly used organic 
compounds, which might be released through a leak or a spill in a spacecraft crew cabin. It was 
extensively ground-tested, and includes data analysis software which will identify and quantify the release 
of a target chemical within 40 minutes of detection. 
 
Past ENose investigations have focused on organic compounds such as common solvents and a few 
selected inorganic compounds, ammonia, water and hydrazine. For the new ENose to be performed on 
the ISS, two inorganic species have now been added to the analyte set, mercury and sulfur dioxide. To 
accommodate these inorganic species, the sensor array will incorporate a hybrid sensor approach, 
including both new sensing materials and new sensing platforms made up of microhotplate sensor 
substrates. Materials approaches to these analytes have been determined using models of sensor-
analyte response developed under this program. Predictive models will also be used to complement array 
training for additional software analyses including chemical family identification and identification of 
unknown analytes. Analysis of data taken by the sensor array will be included on the ENose control 
computer, and event analysis will be available within 40 minutes of event onset. 
 
The ENose event monitor, by identifying and quantifying trained-for chemical species, fills the gap 
between an alarm (which provides no ID or quantification) and high-end analytical instruments. ENose 
has demonstrated a wide dynamic range, ranging from fractional ppm to 10,000 ppm. Its array based 
sensing mechanism means that it can be trained to detect new chemical species, and training data can 
be uplinked to add new species to its on-board data library. ENose runs continuously (30 to 360 data 
points/hr) and autonomously; it requires only minimal crew interaction and requires no consumables. The 
ENose is low mass (less than 4 kg), small volume (less than 4 liters) and low power (less than 20 W), in 
addition to being microgravity-insensitive, robust, and rugged. It is capable of analyzing volatile aerosols 
as well as vapors. 
 
Future applications of the JPL ENose may also include environments other than the spacecraft crew 
cabin and similar enclosed environments. Such applications may include integration with larger devices 
such as analytical instruments, and with environmental monitoring and control systems.  
Project Type: Payload  
Images and Captions: 
 
The Third Generation ENose and the two subsystems that comprise it: the Sensor Unit (science core) and 
the Interface Unit (hardware and software connections to the ISS).  
 
 
ENose baseline deployment option on board ISS. ENose is shown attached via a Velcro patch to an 
EXPRESS Rack face. Power and data cables connect the ENose to ISS EXPRESS (Expedite the 
Processing of Experiments to the Space Station) Rack power and Ethernet resources.  
 
 
NASA Image: ISS018E011643 - View of the Electronic Nose (Enose) in US Laboratory Destiny during 
Expedition 18. 
 
Operations Location: ISS Inflight  
Brief Research Operations:  
• Upon arrival on board ISS, ENose will be unpacked from stowage and set up by an astronaut. 
ENose will sample the cabin air continuously by pumping air through the device, and data will be 
taken at least once every two minutes. A subset of the data will be shown on the display screen. 
• ENose will operate autonomously and continuously after it is deployed, connected and turned on 
by the crew. Once that is done, unless it needs to be moved, it will require little crew interaction. 
• As needed, the device can be powered off at the ISS interface unit and the entire ENose can be 
picked up and moved to a new location, then attached, connected and powered on again. 
Operational Requirements: Upon arrival on board ISS, ENose will be unpacked from stowage and set 
up by a crewmember. ENose will be affixed to an EXPRESS Rack for power. ENose will run continuously 
for minimum of six months; data will be transferred to ground in Health and Status packets and in periodic 
file transfer. Data will also be archived in ENose until file transfer (up to 30 days). The crewmembers will 
perform periodic confirmational events to collect air samples in vicinity of ENose for analysis on ground.  
Operational Protocols: ISS crewmembers will retrieve the ENose from stowage and install it on an 
EXPRESS Rack with a bracket assembly and/or Velcro; connect the power cable and the data cable. 
ENose will be powered on and the crewmember will verify the following: LED illumination; display 
operation; clear air inlet and outlets. ENose is autonomous with possible occasional crew commanding 
and periodic status checks (once or twice per month). Crewmembers will have periodic attended events if 
ENose detects a potential spill or leak. When ENose is relocated, the crewmember will need to reset the 
IP address.  
Review Cycle Status: PI Reviewed  
Category: Technology Development  
Sub-Category: Environmental Monitoring of ISS  
Space Applications: The JPL ENose is envisioned to be one part of a distributed system for automated 
monitoring and control of the breathing atmosphere in inhabited spacecraft in microgravity. It is designed 
as an event or incident monitor, capable of providing rapid, early identification and quantification of 
changes in the atmosphere caused by leaks or spills of compounds to which the device has been trained. 
The flexibility of the device includes the ability to be trained to new compounds, the possibility of providing 
sensor sets for particular analyte suites, and a wide dynamic range (fractional ppm to 10,000 ppm), 
making it a valuable part of an air quality monitoring and control system that is comprised of several types 
of instruments. Such a system can be included in an environmental control system which actuates 
remediation of anomalous events.  
Earth Applications: Many important and diverse Earth-based applications exist for ENose technology. 
One major driver is the current need for advanced detection devices for security (both civilian and military) 
and health safety applications, such as the detection of explosives and infection monitoring. Furthermore, 
the need for biochemical detectors that are able to sense the presence of pathogens in humans and that 
can contribute to the early detection of diseases is high. Recently, medical applications of electronic 
noses have been explored. The use of a novel electronic nose to diagnose the presence of pulmonary 
infection, and distinguish between serum and cerebrospinal fluid, as might be encountered in exudates 
collected from the eye or ear, has been reported. Although this field is still in its infancy, the opportunities 
for developing improved biosensors are abundant. Devices based on handheld electronic nose devices 
may be among the key health monitoring technologies of the future.  
Manifest Status: Continuing  
Supporting Organization: Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD)  
Previous Missions: The First Generation ENose flew on board STS-95 in 1998 and operated 
successfully during its six-day mission. The Second Generation ENose, a ground demonstration, 
successfully detected and identified 21 chemicals during extensive ground testing.  
 
Web Sites: 
JPL - Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control 
NASA Press Release 08-299: NASA Plans Test of 'Electronic Nose' on International Space Station  
The Electronic Nose - An Environmental Sensor  
 
Related Payload(s): LOCAD-PTS 
Last Update: 02/17/2009  
 


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