NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Cleaning at the Edge of Science: NASA's Genesis MissionAs part of NASA's continuing exploration of the origins of our solar system, the California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Johnson Space Center are working together to develop the Genesis mission to return solar matter for analysis in terrestrial laboratories. These samples will be used to define a baseline for the chemical and isotopic composition of the solar nebula. Deviations from the baseline resulted as the solar system evolved; thus, providing a tracer for materials incorporated into meteorites, comets and planetary bodies. These differences represent "fossil residues" that provide invaluable insight into how the solar nebula evolved to form the planets. We cannot collect a sample of the Sun as we would for a planet; fortunately, solar material comes to us in the form of the solar wind. Ultrapure materials will be exposed at the Earth-Sun L1, outside the Earth's magnetic influence, where solar wind nuclei will be captured for 2 years before returning to Earth in January 2001. The key challenge to obtaining a good sample of solar wind, uncontaminated by terrestrial atoms, is a clean collection surface in a clean sample canister and clean facilities with which to handle the samples for allocation and future reference. The Johnson Space Center QSQ is responsible for contamination control for the mission, for ensuring the cleanliness of collection surfaces and providing a clean environment for their subsequent handling. The level of cleanliness required is high; at the time of analysis (after sample return), the surface contamination by C, N, O must each be less than 10(exp 15) atoms per centimeter squared and for elements other than C, N, O, the number of atoms per centimeter squared of each surface contaminant shall not exceed the estimated solar wind fluence of the species (varies by element between U at approx. 10 (exp 4) atoms per centimeter squared to Fe, Si, Mg, and Ne at approx. 10(exp 12), atoms per centimeter squared). Typical spacecraft assembly is done in class 10,000 cleanrooms. The final cleaning and reintegration of the Genesis payload canister as well as all sample material handling will be done within a class 10 cleanroom using Dryden suits to protect the collector materials from any human debris. Each component is unique, no standard size, shape, material, or precleaning history. We are developing new final cleaning techniques utilizing ultra-pure water to minimize molecular residues on the hardware components.
Document ID
20000042292
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Stansbery, Eileen K.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX United States)
Biesinger, Paul H.
(Science Applications International Corp. United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Meeting Information
Meeting: The A2C2 Conf/Exh Critical Cleaning Contamination Control
Location: Baltimore
Country: United States
Start Date: March 28, 2000
End Date: March 29, 2000
Sponsors: Forward Technology Industries, Inc., Kyzen Corp., Crest Ultrasonics
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 698-00-01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available