Research

Noctilucent clouds are rare ‘space clouds’ that are believed to be sensitive indicators of global climate trends. Too high to reach by aircraft yet too low to reach by satellite, Project PoSSUM will explore these clouds using balloons and suborbital manned spacecraft.

Airborne Noctilucent Cloud Tomography

Balloon Noctilucent Cloud Imagery

Suborbital Tomography

How well can man perform in space? PoSSUM Members work with Final Frontier Design and Integrated Spaceflight Services to test and evaluate new spacesuits and emerging space technologies in analog environments.

Analog Environments

Human Factors Research

Post-landing Operability Research

Microgravity is a unique environment where the effects of gravity are reduced or removed. This environment is created in freefall. In space, freefall is achieved by “falling around” the Earth in the International Space Station; on the Earth, freefall is achieved in special research aircraft that fly in parabola-like maneuvers. Microgravity is very important in the study of Space Science because the processes and phenomena normally hidden by dominant gravitational effects become more easily observable.