A gas-sampling diagnostic has been developed to determine the molecular composition in real time of the gaseous flow emanating from a $+1$/$Delta$-g$/ oxygen generator. This excited state oxygen is the energy source for a chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL). The major constituents in the flow, helium, oxygen, chlorine and water are drawn from the generator and transported to a quadrupole mass spectrometer for analysis. Information derived from this instrument such as chlorine utilization, water vapor content and flow impurities will advance our understanding of the oxygen generator performance. Precise measurements of water content are particularly important because of its energy quenching effect on I$+*$/, the lasing species in a COIL. This diagnostic may also be used to measure the mixing distribution of molecular iodine in the supersonic excited oxygen flow downstream of the nozzles. This paper discusses the criteria for the design of the gas-sampling diagnostic.
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