A Miniature Focal Plane Mass Spectrometer for Air Quality Measurement in Space Human Habitats

A miniature mass spectrometer with an array detector for measurement of ion intensities have been developed at the Jet Propulsion laboratory (JPL). The spectrometer has a focal plane geometry, and can measure the intensities of different masses simultaneously. The array detector has a spatial resolution of 25 μm and is based on the ion-electron-photon conversion process.. Because of its simultaneous measurement of ion intensities, the mass spectrometer is uniquely suited for combination with a microbore capillary column to produce a miniature, high performance GC-MS system for air quality monitoring in space human habitats.