Software has been developed to function onboard the International Space Station (ISS) to help safeguard human health by detecting compounds of concern in the cabin atmosphere, both in identity and concentration. This software calibrates and processes a standard 2D dataset (mass spectrum versus time) output from a gas chromatogram/mass spectrometer by identifying temporal events, including the possibility for near simultaneous event overlap, reducing the mass spectra for each event and comparing to an arbitrary library of known compounds. The level of autonomy, adjustment of parameters for the VCAM devices’ specific data characteristics, and adaptive mass resolution to ease requirement of precision mass calibration are three unique features of this design. The estimation of concentration is also a significant addition to the standard AMDIS (NIST) implementation. Solution filtration based on elution time, and an arbitration algorithm for similar matches, provide the user with a more succinct, single-valued estimate in comparison to algorithms designed to merely augment expert hand analysis.

This work was done by Lukas Mandrake, Benjamin J. Bornstein, Seungwon Lee, and Brian D. Bue of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The software used in this innovation is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Daniel Broderick of the California Institute of Technology at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Refer to NPO-46563.