IIAS leads bioastronautic research pertaining to space suit and bio-monitoring technologies in partnership with Integrated Spaceflight Services, the National Research Council of Canada, the Southern Aeromedical Institute, and Survival Systems USA. The validation process of these technologies involves analog evaluation in micro-gravity, high-altitude, high-G, and post-landing operational scenarios. The IIAS Bioastronautics Certificate Program emphasizes IVA space suit test and evaluation while providing a practical, hands-on, and immersive education geared to the professional interested in a career in bioastronautics.
Areas of Study
Microgravity and High-G Evaluation of IVA Space Suit Technologies
IIAS uses a specially-modified Falcon-20 reduced gravity aircraft to simulate the interior cabin and cockpit environments of commercial space vehicles. Students enrolled in BIO 103 participate in a microgravity research campaign with the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa. Data collected on each microgravity flight may include range of motion and translation testing, seat ingress and egress evaluation, ventilating or pressurization evaluation, bio-metric system and related system functionality tests, and mission simulation.
High-Altitude Test and Evaluation of IVA Space Suit Technologies
IIAS leads novel space suit tests in hypoxic and high-altitude environments at the Southern Aeromedical Institute (SAMI) facility in Melbourne, FL. Testing of suit system functionality at various altitudes as well as the ability of a suited test subject to successfully activate the suit after demonstrating symptoms following from exposure to hypoxic environments at an equivalent altitude of 25,000′.
Post-Landing Evaluation of IVA Space Suit Technologies
In an exclusive partnership with Survival Systems USA, IIAS leads studies involving analog landing and post-landing environments, considering both nominal and contingency scenarios. The implications of these procedures on vehicle and spacesuit design and egress procedures are evaluated each year as part of the IIAS OPS 102 ‘Spacecraft Egress and Post-landing Operations’ course. BIO 104 courses simulate side-hatch and docking-hatch egress procedures in varying lighting and sea state conditions using a boilerplate Orion mock-up as well as parachute drop scenarios.
The Graduate Certificate in Bioastronautics
The IIAS Professional Credential in Bioastronautics is a 16-credit certification designed for the student or professional interested in a career in human space flight involving the design, integration, test, and qualification of technologies involving the human interface in spacecraft. IIAS offers two concentrations of study in Bioastronautics: IVA Space Suit Test and Evaluation and EVA Space Suit Test and Evaluation. These concentrations are largely independent of each other and may be taken sequentially or concurrently. Prospective applicants must have successfully competed the requirements for AST 101 (Fundamentals of Astronautics). Upon completion of the prescribed courses, the candidate should petition for graduation through the link below.
Requirements for the IIAS Bioastronautics Certificate (with IVA Space Suit Evaluation)
| Course | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| AST 101 | Fundamentals of Astronautics | 3 |
| AST 102 | Fundamentals of Microgravity Science | 3 |
| EDU 101 | Citizen-Science Research Methods | 3 |
| BIO 101 | Space Flight Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 102 | Space Life Sciences | 3 |
| BIO 103 | Microgravity Research of Human Test Subjects | 3 |
NOTE: Candidates for the IIAS Bioastronautics Program first need to be accepted into AST 101. PLEASE APPLY HERE
