
Areas of Study

Airborne Remote Sensing of Noctilucent Clouds
Project PoSSUM partners with Aerospatial Systems to conduct airborne imagery and remote sensing of noctilucent cloud structures from High Level, Alberta using a Turbo Mooney research aircraft. Individual sorties are designed to compensate for solar motion and synchronize with the AIM satellite, which observes noctilucent cloud structures from space, and with terrestrial observation sites to facilitate tomographic reconstruction. These images are used to test the low-latitude thresholds of space-based imagery and qualify instrumentation for PoSSUM high-altitude balloon and suborbital spacecraft missions.

High-Altitude Balloon Imaging of Noctilucent Clouds
Project PoSSUM works in partnership with GATS, Columbia University, and Integrated Spaceflight Services to develop and test camera systems designed to fly on a high-altitude, NASA-funded balloon in support of the imagery experiment around the Antarctic polar vortex for two weeks in December 2017. PoSSUM graduates are engaged in the instrument development, testing, and educational outreach efforts in this novel experiment that will study atmospheric dynamics that can only be viewed in exquisite detail through very high resolution imagery techniques.

Crewed Suborbital Tomography of Noctilucent Clouds
The PoSSUMCam system will be used to obtain high-resolution imagery of noctilucent cloud micro-features as suborbital spacecraft pass through the cloud layer, much like an MRI creates 3D representations of the human body. These images will be used to build extremely high-resolution models of the small-scale structures of noctilucent cloud layers through modeling algorithms developed for the program. These structures have been difficult to resolve from previous means of observation from space-based or ground-based imagers but are believed to contain most of the information pertaining to energy and momentum deposition in the upper atmosphere.
The Graduate Certificate in Aeronomy
The IIAS Professional Credential in Aeronomy is a 16-credit certification designed for the student or professional interested in a career in human space flight involving upper-atmospheric research. The credential assumes an understanding of mathematics up to differential equations and familiarization with coding and modeling platforms. Prospective applicants must have successfully competed the requirements for AST 101 (Fundamentals of Astronautics). As needed, preparatory courses in MATLAB and Python are available. Upon completion of the prescribed courses, the candidate should petition for graduation through the link below.
Requirements for the IIAS Aeronomy Certificate
Course | Credits | |
---|---|---|
AST 101 | Fundamentals of Astronautics | 2 |
EDU 101 | Citizen-Science Research Methods | 2 |
AER 101 | Suborbital Space Environment | 3 |
AER 102 | Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Modeling | 3 |
AER 103 | Airborne Imagery of Noctilucent Clouds | 3 |
AST 999 | Thesis | 3 |
Register for Aeronomy Course Here:
AER 101: Suborbital Space Environment
February 01,2020 / 0 CommentsAER 102: Remote Sensing and Mesospheric Modeling
January 31,2020 / 0 CommentsAER 103: Airborne Remote Sensing of Noctilucent Clouds
July 10,2020 / 0 Comments
IIAS Course Catalog
2021 Course Schedule
april
17apr(apr 17)6:30 pm21(apr 21)5:00 pmPoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Class 2001 and 2002

Event Details
For those holding a B.S. Degree from an accredited university, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program is held either at Florida Tech or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It is a five-day,
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Event Details
For those holding a B.S. Degree from an accredited university, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program is held either at Florida Tech or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It is a five-day, fully immersive training program that will provide the skills required to effectively conduct research on the next generation of commercial space vehicles as part of Project PoSSUM. Designed and instructed by former NASA astronaut instructors and PoSSUM team scientists, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program combines three weeks of webinar instruction followed by one-week of intensive training including high-G training, crew resource management training, spacesuit training, high-altitude training, biometric analysis, and PoSSUMCam operations. You will also receive comprehensive instruction on noctilucent cloud science, observational history, research methods from some of the world’s leading noctilucent cloud scientists, then learn to use real PoSSUM Instruments on customized simulations of actual PoSSUM research flights, using the most modern training facilities available
Time
17 (Saturday) 6:30 pm - 21 (Wednesday) 5:00 pm EDT
Location
Florida Tech
2495 Palm Bay Rd NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905, United States
19apr(apr 19)8:00 am23(apr 23)5:00 pm2020 PoSSUM Academy - Red Sprite Group

Event Details
Similar to the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Program but taught at a more qualitative level, the Advanced PoSSUM Space Academy at Florida Tech is a hands-on and immersive program designed for advanced
Event Details
Similar to the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Program but taught at a more qualitative level, the Advanced PoSSUM Space Academy at Florida Tech is a hands-on and immersive program designed for advanced high-school and undergraduate students interested in upper-atmospheric research, bioastronautics, science communication, and human space flight operations. Graduates may enroll in all PoSSUM Graduate Programs.
Time
19 (Monday) 8:00 am - 23 (Friday) 5:00 pm EDT
Location
Florida Tech
2495 Palm Bay Rd NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905, United States
24apr(apr 24)6:30 pm28(apr 28)5:00 pmPoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Class 2003 and 2101

Event Details
For those holding a B.S. Degree from an accredited university, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program is held either at Florida Tech or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
more
Event Details
For those holding a B.S. Degree from an accredited university, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program is held either at Florida Tech or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It is a five-day, fully immersive training program that will provide the skills required to effectively conduct research on the next generation of commercial space vehicles as part of Project PoSSUM. Designed and instructed by former NASA astronaut instructors and PoSSUM team scientists, the PoSSUM Scientist Astronaut Qualification Program combines three weeks of webinar instruction followed by one-week of intensive training including high-G training, crew resource management training, spacesuit training, high-altitude training, biometric analysis, and PoSSUMCam operations. You will also receive comprehensive instruction on noctilucent cloud science, observational history, research methods from some of the world’s leading noctilucent cloud scientists, then learn to use real PoSSUM Instruments on customized simulations of actual PoSSUM research flights, using the most modern training facilities available.
Time
24 (Saturday) 6:30 pm - 28 (Wednesday) 5:00 pm
Location
Florida Tech
2495 Palm Bay Rd NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905, United States
26apr(apr 26)8:00 am30(apr 30)5:00 pm2020 PoSSUM Academy - Blue Jet Group

Event Details
Similar to the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Program but taught at a more qualitative level, the Advanced PoSSUM Space Academy at Florida Tech is a hands-on and immersive program designed for advanced
Event Details
Similar to the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Program but taught at a more qualitative level, the Advanced PoSSUM Space Academy at Florida Tech is a hands-on and immersive program designed for advanced high-school and undergraduate students interested in upper-atmospheric research, bioastronautics, science communication, and human space flight operations. Graduates may enroll in all PoSSUM Graduate Programs.
Time
26 (Monday) 8:00 am - 30 (Friday) 5:00 pm EDT
Location
Florida Tech
2495 Palm Bay Rd NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905, United States
may

Event Details
OPS 102 is the first professional education course on the landing and post-landing phase of human spacecraft missions. this course covers nominal and contingency landing scenarios, post-landing planning, rescue and
Event Details
OPS 102 is the first professional education course on the landing and post-landing phase of human spacecraft missions. this course covers nominal and contingency landing scenarios, post-landing planning, rescue and recovery architecture design, egress systems and operational procedures, deconditioning and post-landing survivability, generalized egress skills, and emergency egress bottle use.
Time
1 (Saturday) 8:00 am - 5 (Wednesday) 5:00 pm EST
Location
Survival Systems USA
144 Tower Ave #5326, Groton, CT 06340, United States

Event Details
BIO 104 provides instruction on spacesuit use in nominal and off-nominal post-landing environments. Students demonstrate reliable functionality of parachute release, life preserver unit (LPU), and snorkel functionality in varying sea
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Event Details
BIO 104 provides instruction on spacesuit use in nominal and off-nominal post-landing environments. Students demonstrate reliable functionality of parachute release, life preserver unit (LPU), and snorkel functionality in varying sea and lighting conditions. Students also learn the effective use of radios, beacons, signal flares, and other signaling devices in water and egress bottle use for egress operations.
Curriculum:
Classroom instruction: Suit (Pressure suit system description, Analog suit differences), Parachute components, Ejection (sequence, components), Post-ejection, Post-departure through crew/seat separation, Descent (Post seat separation through canopy open and canopy descent, Proper position, CVSPSR, Landing), Survival/signaling, Survival gear descriptions and use, Signaling ops, Water Operations (Psychological, Practical), Rescue Operations, Safety
Capsule Egress Operations: Unsuited Capsule Egress (Side Hatch, Top Hatch, Life raft ops/ingress, Raft ops/signaling), Suited Capsule Egress (Side Hatch, Top Hatch, Life raft ops/ingress, Raft ops/signaling)
Suited Parachute lift and drop: dry (Lift, Position, Canopy check, Visor, Seat kit, Prepare, Release), Suited Parachute lift – wet ((Lift, Position, Canopy check, Visor, Seat kit, Prepare, Drop, Release
Canopy extraction, Hoist ops (Horse collar, Forrest Penetrator, Mail hook)
Time
6 (Thursday) 8:00 am - 9 (Sunday) 5:00 pm EST
Location
Survival Systems USA
144 Tower Ave #5326, Groton, CT 06340, United States

Event Details
OPS 104 On-Site Mission Simulation Training
Event Details
OPS 104 On-Site Mission Simulation Training
Time
10 (Monday) 8:00 am - 12 (Wednesday) 5:00 pm
Location
Survival Systems USA
144 Tower Ave #5326, Groton, CT 06340, United States

Event Details
BIO 103 provides a foundation in the microgravity environment, microgravity research campaign planning and operations, human factors and spacesuit evaluation research, biomedical monitoring systems, science communication and public outreach. Students in
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Event Details
BIO 103 provides a foundation in the microgravity environment, microgravity research campaign planning and operations, human factors and spacesuit evaluation research, biomedical monitoring systems, science communication and public outreach.
Students in the course will apply their knowledge and skills learned in the webinars in a parabolic flight campaign with Integrated Spaceflight Services and the National Research Council of Canada. The flight campaign will take place (tentative dates) September 28th to October 2nd 2020 (inclusive) at the NRC Flight Research Lab (FRL) located in Ottawa, Canada. The address is 1920 Research Private, Ottawa, ON K1V 1J8, Canada and is suited within walking distance of the Ottawa International Airport. Students should plan to arrive at 8AM each day. A typical day will end by 6PM. Students should plan to stay until 6PM on the last day of the campaign. Additional details of the flight campaign will be provided in the webinars.
Students will need to provide the following information one month prior to the flight campaign:
• Full legal Name
• Date of Birth
• Nationality
• Passport Number and scan of passport photo page
Notes on COVID-19:
• The NRC has indicated their full intention to carry out the September 2020 flight campaign as of May 2020, but the situation may change.
• Students should not book non-refundable flights to Ottawa or accommodations unless advised otherwise by the Instructor.
• The NRC is a Government of Canada agency and we will comply with all Canadian health regulations regarding COVID-19.
• Students are advised to monitor the travel restrictions regarding the US/Canada border.
• Students in need of travel visas should contact the Instructor as early as possible.
What to expect
Participating members should allow for four to five days. Upon arrival, each members will receive a safety briefing and instruction on research protocol as part of the Test Readiness Review (TRR). Teams are grouped as follows: one test director (TD), one suited test subject (TS), one equipment technician (ET), one biomedical monitor (MM), one space suit assistant (SA), and one unsuited test subject (US). TD and TS roles require prior successful campaign experience.
Members participate in egress tests and system testing. All teams will rehearse until they reach a level of proficiency in 1G conditions before their flight. Once the mission is approved by both test director and NRC flight safety officer, the flight will commence.
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Mission Plan:
Each sortie is planned for 18 parabolas, but flights may be terminated for reason. A flight may be terminated for any of the following reasons:
- Test participant vomiting in the suit or bio-monitor data in excess of established limits
- Excessive vomiting by any flight team member.
- Failure of essential equipment
- Any condition created by a flight team that violates any safety protocol
Time
17 (Monday) 8:00 am - 21 (Friday) 5:00 pm EDT
Location
National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory
1920 Research Private, Ottawa, ON K1V 1J8, Canada

Event Details
Classroom component and survival course Didactic Classroom Component (20 hours = 2.5 classroom days or 2 x 10hr days) Review of spaceflight-related changes and wilderness considerations in post-flight physiology state, Exposures
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Event Details
Classroom component and survival course
Didactic Classroom Component (20 hours = 2.5 classroom days or 2 x 10hr days)
Review of spaceflight-related changes and wilderness considerations in post-flight physiology state, Exposures & First Aid, Temperature Exposures: Frostbite, Hypothermia & Heat Stroke, Animal & Insect Exposure: Bites, stings, injuries, Triaging, Wound Management, Burn Management, Orthopedic Injuries, Botanical Encounters, Altitude Sickness, Submersion Injuries, Drowning, Sun exposure, Pre-existing conditions (less time on this, as astronaut candidates are presumably healthy), Approach to Triage in the Wilderness
Practical Drills: Team-building, approach to triage in the wilderness, focussed triage on specific problems, small group sessions (knots, splinting, shelter-building, wraps, taping, dealing with blisters, epipen, c-spine evaluation, lifts) – some can also be interspersed into the trek itself, litters, try a scenario in a deconditioned state
Outdoor Skills: Shelters, Fires, Water purification, Food
Practical Component (32 hours) – day survival trip + debrief
DAY 1: Arrival and check-in + ½ day classroom component
Day 2-5: Classroom component
principles of team-building and wilderness medicine trip +/- building shelter based on group experience, round robin events along triage, drills & survival scenarios.
Day 6: Individual & team skills assessments, group and individual debrief, individual evaluations, course evaluations, pack-up
Time
25 (Tuesday) 8:00 am - 28 (Friday) 5:00 pm AST
Location
San Francisco Volcanic Fields (SFVF)
Flagstaff, AZ

Event Details
This course covers the requirements and design considerations for EVA systems and tools for conducting planetary field geology. Included are an introduction to field science in the context of geology;
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Event Details
This course covers the requirements and design considerations for EVA systems and tools for conducting planetary field geology. Included are an introduction to field science in the context of geology; an overview of the processes that shape the surface environments of Mars and Earth’s moon; a survey of historical planetary surface geologic exploration by robots and humans; and a survey of historical EVA systems and tools used for human surface science. Emphasis will be on analyzing the constraints placed by human factors, the EVA environment, science tasks, etc. upon the design and implementation of EVA suits, tools, and procedures for effective and efficient field science operations on planetary surfaces..
The online portion of the EVA 103 course will be followed by a ~1-week capstone field experience in the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF), just north of Flagstaff, AZ. This area has been used extensively in the past for a number of NASA analog mission simulations and NASA-funded geologic research related to planetary field exploration. Students will be introduced to basic field science practice in the context of geologic observations and sample collection. Field work will also involve testing of prototype surface EVA suits and tools in the scientifically relevant analog setting of the SFVF.
Time
May 29 (Saturday) 8:00 am - June 1 (Tuesday) 3:00 pm AST
Location
San Francisco Volcanic Fields (SFVF)
Flagstaff, AZ
june
july
november

Event Details
EVA Space Suit Evaluation Program: Day 1: EVA space suit donning, Assisting donning of EVA space suits. Chest control board operations, cooling, communication and lighting system operations. Introduction to gravity offset
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Event Details
EVA Space Suit Evaluation Program:
Day 1: EVA space suit donning, Assisting donning of EVA space suits. Chest control board operations, cooling, communication and lighting system operations. Introduction to gravity offset systems (Lunar, Martian, and microgravity operations).
Day 2-4: Surface EVA Evaluation, lunar and Martian gravity (scooper, drill, hammer, soil sampler, spectrometer, remote rover operations). Microgravity operations (drill and ‘Task Board 3’ panel removal and maintenance, hatch operations, camera mounting and operation, translation using handrails and carabiners). MCC operations, medical monitoring, and gravity offset system operations. Comparative evaluation of finger, hand, and upper body strength in unsuited, suited and unpressurized, and suited and pressurized environments.
Instructors: Ken Trujillo, Ted Southern
Time
1 (Monday) 8:00 am - 5 (Friday) 5:00 pm EDT
Location
Canadian Space Agency Headquarters
6767 Route de l'Aéroport Saint-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 8Y9