2020 Course Catalog
Welcome to the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences
Statement of Institutional Mission
The Mission of the International Institute for Astronautical Science is to provide a high-value, immersive education within culturally-diverse operational environments that enable professional citizen-science research promoting multi- national space exploration, science literacy, and the equitable and peaceful uses of outer space. We embrace three core values:
1. Democratizing Science
IIAS is a citizen-science organization that relies on private participation and funding in addition to traditional public funding sources to conduct and communicate science. IIAS strives to provide high-value, immersive educational services that enable peer-reviewed publishable science while communicating science to a global audience. The majority of IIAS research is privately funded through sponsorships and foundations.
2. International Stewardship
Understanding our shared global environment and laying seeds to be multi-planetary species are highly international objectives and IIAS embraces its diversity as an international organization. As of 2020, IIAS has students originating from 46 different nations.
3. Empowering All Communities
We believe that global issues demand a global response. We encourage and embrace everyone to participate in the process of conducting, publishing, and communicating science. IIAS sponsors outreach programs serving under- represented minorities in science including: the PoSSUM 13, Out Astronaut, and Space for all Nations.
General education requirements:
IIAS certificate programs are available to students that have met the following prerequisites:
• Demonstrated academic success in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field including coursework including differential and integral calculus, research methods, and university-level physics. • High School diploma, GED, or equivalent • Fluency in English • Current FAA Class III Flight Physical • SCUBA Experience
Candidacy to the IIAS M.S. of Astronautical Sciences program is available to candidates that have the above requirements in addition to a qualifying B.S. degree.
Resources:
IIAS courses are structured in a hybrid format where instruction is provided through distance-learning as much as possible. This is combined with intensive field campaigns where the production of novel research publications or relevant technology maturation is the measure of success. Generally, 101 and 102-level courses are completely educational in nature; 103-level courses (and higher) are centered around research campaigns. These courses evolve each year as new research objectives are introduced but the academic components to these courses remains mostly constant. In tehse courses, students are ‘matrixed’ into active research campaigns with the instructors and subject-matter experts. Typically, such courses have a lead instructor complemented by two or three subject-matter experts.
Instruction:
Instructors and private tutoring services are provided through both distance education and in-person teaching methods. IIAS maintains virtual instruction and webinar services through GoToMeeting. Students have access to resources maintained through the members-only Learning Management System accessible through the IIAS website at astronauticsinstitute.org.
IIAS Satellite Research Centers:
• National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory, Ottawa, Ontario (NRC) for BIO 103 • Canadian Space Agency Headquarters, Montreal, Quebec (CSA) for EVA 104 • Survival Systems USA, Groton, CT (SSUSA) for OPS 102, BIO 104, and EVA 105* • Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL (FIT) • Hypobaric and Hyperbaric Research Facility, Melbourne, FL (SAMI)
* IIAS maintains a partnership with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) for all SCUBA-related activities at Survival Systems USA.
IIAS Field Campaign Locations:
• San Francisco Volcanic Fields, Flagstaff, AZ. (SFVF) for EVA 102 and EVA 103 • Yellowknife Airport, Yellowknife, NWT. (CYZF) for AER 103 • Colorado Air and Space Port (CASP) for FTE 102, FTE 103, and FTE 104
Institutional Facilities
IIAS Facilities are established at several locations with IIAS partner institutions
• Reduced Gravity Laboratory (NRC) • Gravity-Offset Laboratory (CSA) • Post-Landing Human Factors Laboratory (SSUSA) • Hypobaric and Hyperbaric Altitude Chamber (Melbourne, FL) • Research and Training Aircraft (Marchetti S-211, Mooney M20K, Piper PA-23 Apache, Pitts S2B), CSAP • Instrumentation and Remote Sensing Laboratory (CSAP) • Space Suit Testing Laboratory (Melbourne, FL) • IIAS Orbital Space Flight Simulator (Melbourne, FL) • IIAS Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (Melbourne, FL) • Soyuz Mission Simulator (Melbourne, FL)
Admission and Academic Policies:
Admission:
Admission applications are managed online. IIAS accepts students from all countries except those under Export Control through Export Administration Regulations (currently inclusive of the Crimea Region of the Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria). Students must be 17 years of age in addition to meeting the requirements listed above. There is no charge to apply to the IIAS. IIAS maintains eight courses that are considered ‘open university: AER 101, BIO 101, OPS 101, OPS 102, FTE 101, EDU 101, EVA 101, and EVA 102. These courses are open to all but preference is given to applicants that have previously completed AST 101.
For all other courses, AST 101 is a mandatory prerequisite. AST 101 is held two times per year: once in the Spring and once in the Fall. This class is restricted to 16 students. Applicants for AST 101 are selected on a competitive basis each semester. Conditionally-accepted applicants are then asked to provide transcripts to support academic credential claims and a background check is conducted.
On acceptance to the program, students receive a flight suit, textbooks, access to online resources, lapel pin, and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that must be signed (see attachment below).
Grading and Feedback:
All IIAS grading is done on a ‘pass-fail’ basis where quantifiable measures are established by each instructor for each course to establish a nominal effort for each class. We want to emphasize publications and scientific contributions as the figure-of-merit for student success, rather than more subjective interpretations of academic performance.
Graduation:
Students may petition for graduation to receive a certificate or the M.S. of Astronautical Science degree online. Students receive a formal diploma and transcript. These services are free.
The Master of Science in Astronautical Sciences (30 credits)
The IIAS is seeking accreditation for a 30-credit Master of Science degree that offers one of four different concentrations: Bioastronautics, Space Flight Operations, Aeronomy, or Science Education. Bioastronautics Concentration
Core Courses: (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics (3 credits) EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods (3 credits) BIO 101: Space Flight Physiology (3 credits) EVA 101: Life Support Systems (3 credits) OPS 102: Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations (3 credits) AST 199: Thesis (3 credits)
Select One of the Following: (3 credits) EVA 102: Operational Space Medicine EVA 103: Planetary Field Geology and EVA Tool Development
Select Three of the Following: (9 credits) BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation BIO 104: Post-Landing Space Suit Evaluation EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) EVA 105: Fundamentals of Underwater Analog EVA
Space Flight Operations Concentration
Core Courses: AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics (3 credits) EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods (3 credits) AER 101: Space Flight Physiology (3 credits) OPS 101: System Engineering for Human Space Flight OPS 102: Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations (3 credits) OPS 103: Space Robotics OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation AST 199: Thesis (3 credits)
Select Two of the Following: AER 103: Airborne Noctilucent Cloud Tomography BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation BIO 104: Post-Landing Space Suit Evaluation EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) EVA 105: Fundamentals of Underwater Analog EVA
Aeronomy Concentration
Core Courses: AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics (3 credits) EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods (3 credits) AER 101: Space Flight Physiology (3 credits) AER 101: Space Environment AER 102: Remote Sensing and Mesospheric Modeling AER 103: Airborne Noctilucent Cloud Tomography AST 199: Thesis (3 credits)
Select Three of the Following: BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation BIO 104: Post-Landing Space Suit Evaluation EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) EVA 105: Underwater EVA Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation
Science Education Concentration
Core Courses: (15 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics (3 credits) EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods (3 credits) EDU 102: Science Communication (3 credits) EDU 103: Instructor Development Course (3 credits) AST 199: Thesis (3 credits)
Select Two of the Following: (6 credits) AER 101: Space Flight Physiology (3 credits) OPS 101: System Engineering for Human Space Flight (3 credits) OPS 102: Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations (3 credits) EVA 101: Life Support Systems (3 credits) FTE 101: Fundamentals of Flight Test Engineering (3 credits)
Select Three of the Following: (9 credits) AER 103: Airborne Noctilucent Cloud Tomography ( 3 credits) BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) BIO 104: Post-Landing Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation (3 credits) EVA 105: Fundamentals of Underwater Analog EVA (3 credits) OPS 103: Space Robotics (3 credits) OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation (3 credits)
IIAS Professional Certificates:
IIAS offers six certificates for the professional or student interested in adding a practical specialization to their skillset. An IIAS certificate follows a specific curriculum and the student may pick one of six different subject concentrations:
1. Professional Certificate of Aeronomy 2. Professional Certificate of Bioastronautics – IVA Space Suit Evaluation 3. Professional Certificate of Bioastronautics – EVA Space Suit Evaluation 4. Professional Certificate of Space Flight Operations 5. Professional Certificate of Science Education 6. Professional Certificate of Flight Test Engineering
Professional Certificate of Aeronomy (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods AER 101: Suborbital Space Environment AER 102: Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Modeling AER 103: Airborne Imagery of Noctilucent Clouds AST 199: Thesis
Professional Certificate of Bioastronautics – IVA Space Suit Evaluation (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods OPS 102: Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations BIO 101: Space Flight Physiology BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation BIO 104: Post-Landing Space Suit Evaluation
Professional Certificate of Bioastronautics – EVA Space Suit Evaluation (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods EVA 101: Life Support Systems EVA 102: Operational Space Medicine OR EVA 103: Planetary Field Geology and EVA Tool Development EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation EVA 105: Fundamentals of Underwater Analog EVA
Professional Certificate of Space Flight Operations (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods OPS 101: System Engineering for Human Space Flight OPS 102 Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations OPS 103: Fundamentals of Space Robotics OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation
Professional Certificate of Science Education (18 credits) AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics EDU 101: Citizen-Science Research Methods EDU 102: Science Communication EDU 103: IIAS Instructor Qualification Program AST 199: Thesis Special Topic: Space Suit Technician Qualification Program Special Topic: Simulator Pilot Qualification
Professional Certificate of Flight Test Engineering (18 credits) FTE 101: Fundamentals of Flight Test Engineering FTE 102: Fixed-Wing Performance Flight Testing FTE 103: Fixed-Wing Stability and Control Flight Testing FTE 104: High-Performance Flight Testing BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation AST 199: Thesis
Course Catalog
AER 101: Suborbital Space Environment
Overview:
The course provides an overview of the atmospheric and space environment experienced by suborbital spacecraft. It builds an understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere from the troposphere over the stratosphere and mesosphere to the thermosphere and the near-Earth space environment. The course will introduce the relevant aspects of each environment with a focus on dynamics, chemistry, radiation environment and energetic particle environment, and discuss effects on spacecraft where applicable. The course will also discuss measurement techniques for key quantities in the various environments. The course will close with an outlook on space weather and an overview of the atmospheric environment of Mars.
Course Objectives:
The course will provide each student with a basic knowledge about the Earth’s atmosphere from the troposphere to the near-Earth space environment. The student with be able to apply basic concepts that describe these environments. The course will introduce the student to simple models of Earth’s atmosphere and allow him or her to apply them to questions concerning the atmospheric environment. It will introduce the student to relevant measurement techniques of atmospheric environments and outline how suborbital measurements contribute to the characterization of these environments. Students will be able to apply this knowledge of environmental effects on spacecraft and measurement design.
Textbooks
• Sagan C., The Demon-haunted World – Science as a Candle in the Dark, Random house, 1996. • Frederick, J. F., Principles of Atmospheric Science, Jones and Bartlett, 2008. • Catling, D. C. and Kasting, J. F., Atmospheric Evolution on Inhabited and Lifeless Worlds, Cambridge, 2017. • Tascione, T. F., Introduction to the space environment (2nd), Krieger, 2010. • Fortescue, P., Swinerd, G., Stark, J., Spacecraft Systems Engineering (4th), Wiley, 2011. •
Syllabus:
This is a 3-credit course that consists of ten webinars in two-hour blocks (1.5 hours of lectures plus time for discussion of assignments) and six assignments. Two assignments will consist of self-study tasks to be summarized in write- ups/presentations, four assignments will based on questions and calculations.
Webinar 1: Introduction to the Scientific Method, Introduction to the Earth’s Atmosphere, Atmospheric structure, Concept of scale height, Hydrostatic equation and barometric formula
Webinar 2: Radiative Properties of the Atmosphere – Climate, Black body radiation, Interactions of light with matter, Atmospheric transmission, Atmospheric energy balance and greenhouse effect Webinar 3: Troposphere (1), Atmospheric lapse rate, Atmospheric stability and clouds, Forces driving wind, Impact of weather on spacecraft operations
Webinar 4: Troposphere (2), Tropospheric circulation, Synoptic weather systems and fronts, Numerical weather prediction, Hazardous weather
Webinar 5: Stratosphere, Stratospheric dynamics, Concept of potential temperature and gravity waves, Concept of potential vorticity and planetary waves, Stratospheric ozone chemistry and polar stratospheric clouds, Impact of air traffic on the stratosphere
Webinar 6: Mesosphere, Mesospheric composition and chemistry, Mesospheric temperatures and energy balance, Mesospheric dynamics, gravity waves and tides, Polar mesospheric clouds and polar mesospheric summer echoes
Webinar 7: Upper Atmosphere: Thermosphere, Thermospheric energy input, Thermospheric composition and chemistry, Thermospheric structure, Environmental effects on spacecraft
Webinar 8: Upper Atmosphere: Ionosphere, Ionospheric layers, Impact on radio transmissions, Optical effects in the upper atmosphere
Webinar 9: Upper Atmosphere: Exosphere and Near-Earth Space Environment, Movement of charged particles, Earth’s magnetic field, Magnetosphere and Van Allen radiation belts, Solar energetic particles and cosmic rays – space weather, Exobase and atmospheric escape, Environmental effects on spacecraft
Webinar 10: Comparative Planetology: Introduction to Mars’ Atmosphere, Mars’ atmospheric structure and composition, Seasonal and diurnal temperature cycles, Dust and condensates and their radiative effects, Entry, descent and landing of spacecraft on Mars
Instructor: Dr. Armin Kleinboehl
AER 102: Remote Sensing and Mesospheric Modeling
Objective:
AER 102 provides an introduction to multiple topics and concepts in remote sensing. Each topic is first presented generally, then through the lens of how it can be applied to the aeronomy goals of Project PoSSUM. The course will emphasize basic principles, interspersed with some Python code examples and discussion of implementation strategies.
Text:
There is no specific textbook for the course. Readings will be provided to the students as necessary, except in cases where an assignment requests the student to select a work of their own choosing. However, there are several books that are excellent general resources that cover many of the course topics, and are recommended by the instructor. These include, but are not limited to:
• Lillesand, T., Kiefer, R. W., & Chipman, J. (2015). Remote sensing and image interpretation. John Wiley & Sons. • Schott, J. R. (2007). Remote sensing: the image chain approach. Oxford University Press on Demand.
Syllabus:
1. Introduction 1. What is remote sensing, and why do we need it for aeronomy? 2. Important Moments in Remote Sensing History 2. “Traditional” Imaging: Cameras 1. Apertures: Pinholes vs Lenses (example: PMCTurbo) 2. Exposure 3. Bayer patterns 4. Spatial sampling theorem (Nyquist) 3. Photogrammetry 1. Mono techniques 2. Stereo techniques 4. Radiometry & Calibration 1. Atmospheric absorption and transmittance 2. Planck’s Law 3. Radiometric Calibration 1. Types of atmospheric models (i.e., MODTRAN & similar vs NRLMSISE-00) 2. Exoplanetary atmospheric models 5. Noise 1. Sources (environmental, electronic, physical, etc.) 2. Statistical representations 3. Mitigation strategies 6. Image Processing 1. Data management 2. File formatting 3. Kernels & Band Math 7. Spectroscopy & Polarimetry 1. What are they, and why do we need them for aeronomy? 8. Active Systems: Radar 1. Basic history & principles of radar 2. System examples 3. Radar and aeronomy 9. Active Systems: Lidar 1. Basic history & principles of lidar 2. System examples 3. Lidar and aeronomy 10. Wrap-up
Assignments:
Homework for the course will consist of a mix of written summaries based on literature review and light mathematical derivations and computation. Potential homework assignments include:
• Read an overview paper for a well-known remote sensing platform or satellite, and write a one to two page summary describing the remote sensing principles by which at least one of the associated sensors operate. (This assignment might be given 2-3 times, with a different platform/modality each time) • Write a function to compute a blackbody curve based on Planck’s Law • Write a function to compute the height of a point observed from a stereo image pair of known geometries • Write a function to iterate input parameters for an atmospheric model
Course assignments also include a final project, which will consist of a student-selected topic in remote sensing and/or aeronomy in which the student will address a problem or explore nuances of processing remotely sensed data, whether through code or third-party software (such as ENVI, ESA SNAP, or ImageJ). The student will complete a written one- page proposal at some point during the course, with a final report approximately five pages in length turned in with source code (or a flowchart of steps taken in third party software) at the end of the course.
Prerequisites:
• PoSSUM Academy or PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Candidate • AER 101 Space Environment • Familiarity with trigonometry, algebra, and differential & integral calculus • Knowledge of a programming language at an introductory/novice level (Python, R, MATLAB, IDL)
Instructor: Kyle Foster
AER 103: Airborne Remote Sensing of Noctilucent Clouds
Overview: AER 103 provides a foundation in flight research as applied to the imagery of noctilucent cloud structures synchronized with ground and satellite observations. The course provides a foundation in flight research. Students will learn how to integrate and test imagery systems to aircraft and then organize operational field campaigns and sorties using PoSSUM research aircraft to study noctilucent clouds in annual field campaigns based in Northern Canada. Students will train for one of two in-flight roles: navigator or instrument operator. Students will also participate in coordinated ground observation campaigns to facilitate tomographic reconstruction of airborne images. Students will learn to operate at high-altitudes (up to 23K’) in unpressurized aircraft.
Goals:
Each program provides an immersive educational experience covering the following topics:
• Integration and testing of imagery systems to research aircraft • Planning of operational field campaigns and sortie. • In-flight operations to image noctilucent cloud structures • High-altitude flight operations to FL230 in unpressurized aircraft • Coordination of Satellite and Ground observations • Image processing and data analysis
Mission Plan:
Sorties will be planned daily and waypoints, altitudes, and engine settings will be calculated based on AIM satellite ephemeris data, the solar position, and winds aloft. Missions will be flown when noctilucent cloud presence is verified through visual observation or through LiDAR detection.
Each mission will have: 1) pilot in command, 2) navigator, and 3) instrument technician and operator. Ground crew will consist of 1) mission flight director, 2) remote site camera operator, and 3) deputy remote site camera operator.
Missions flown synchronous with solar motion will be flown at FL180 for a duration of 90 minutes at altitude. Missions flown to intercept the AIM satellite will be flown at FL230 for a duration of 45 minutes.
Each student will have the opportunity to participate in a flight as well as a ground observation mission. Transportation to and from Edmonton, AB will be provided.
Instructor: Dr. Jason Reimuller
BIO 101: Spaceflight Physiology
Overview: The course provides an overview of the physiological changes and adaptations that occur during each phase of spaceflight: ascent, early orbit, long-term flight, extra vehicular activities, and reentry. It also describes the counter measures in current use. Data from previous and current U.S. and Russian programs are discussed, in addition to current commercial spaceflight ventures. The physiological/life support requirements for spacecraft design are considered, as well as the techniques and potential impacts of crew selection, training, in-flight medical care, and contingencies. Aspects of human participation during exploration class missions/colonization are reviewed. A medical/life sciences background is not required.
Course Objectives:
Provide each student with the basis of knowledge and complement of skills necessary for awareness and application of human spaceflight physiology to the exploration of space. To further the understanding between space physiology and all the other fields of endeavor within space systems.
Textbook:
Fundamentals of Space Medicine, Third Edition, Clement.
Syllabus:
The course will consist of ten one-hour webinars and four assignments. Students will receive either a Pass or Fail grade.
Webinar 1: Course Overview Handout Historical Perspectives from John Paul Stapp to present day. Assignment: Describe the development of biophysics and its impact upon early astronaut medical selection criteria
Webinar 2: Environmental Control / Life Support System: subsystems Extra Vehicular Activities. Prebreathe and decompression sickness Toxic Hazards. Trace contaminants, VOCs and the SMAC list.
Webinar 3: Human Capabilities in Space, Human systems adaptation: Cardiovascular and Fluid and Electrolyte Assignment: Describe the mechanisms that cause visual impairments in astronauts and the rationale behind the countermeasures applied to mitigating this problem.
Webinar 4: Human Capabilities in Space, Human systems adaptation: Skeletal
Webinar 5: Human Capabilities in Space, Human systems adaptation: Neurovestibular Assignment: Explain the rationale for the pre-breathe procedure and how risks may be mitigated.
Webinar 6: Human Capabilities in Space, Human systems adaptation: Muscular
Webinar 7: Human Capabilities in Space, Human systems adaptation: Radiation Assignment: Describe the short and long term effects to high doses of ionizing radiation andexplain how astronauts may be protected by GCRs in deep space.
Webinar 8: Psychological Considerations, Astronaut select-in and select-out medical criteria.
Webinar 9: Operational Space Medicine Emergency Rescue Support Space Life Sciences Research.
Webinar 10: Exploration Class Missions and Human Adaptation. Pantropy. Genetic selection and genetic manipulation.
Instructor: Dr. Erik Seedhouse
BIO 103: Microgravity Space Suit Evaluation
Description: 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 will evaluate prototype seat concepts, suit/seat interface, the umbilical interface, and ingress and egress procedures. Overview:
Reduced gravity aircraft provide up to 25 seconds of the near freefall (microgravity) environment. Space agencies and commercial space companies rely on parabolic flight campaigns to perform microgravity experiments and to advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of payloads before launching them into space. Project PoSSUM is advancing the TRL of its payloads in flight campaigns provided by the National Research Council of Canada in a modified Falcon- 20 aircraft.
In this course, students will learn about Space Physical and Life Sciences experiments suitable for testing in parabolic flights. They will also learn the processes researchers must follow in order to perform their experiments aboard reduced gravity aircraft. A critical element leading up to the flight date is specifying the procedures for the payload operation, integration, testing and certification in a document called the Test Equipment Data Package (TEDP). The course will also describe the Interface Control Documentation that researchers must consult to ensure that their payloads will properly integrate into an aircraft’s mechanical and electrical systems. Students will also learn about the Internal Review Board and ethics review that must be done for experiments involving humans and other living organisms.
Objectives:
The course will consist of nine one-hour webinars and seven assignments. Assignment will receive either a Pass or Fail grade. Each assignment will build upon each other to ultimately produce a student’s completed TEDP; by the end of the course, students will have completed a TEDP for an experiment of their choice. Students should be prepared to spend four to five hours per assignment. The expectation is that each student work on their own TEDP, though students are encouraged to solicit feedback and help from their peers; webinars 7 and 8 will provide students with an opportunity to present their experiment idea and TEDP, and to get feedback from the class.
Curriculum:
Webinar 1: Introduction to microgravity platforms:
• Learn about space science and why experiments are conducted in microgravity, Learn how to select the appropriate microgravity platform based on the experiment requirements. • History of parabolic flights: Learn about the parabolic aircraft used by NASA, ESA, and CSA and what aircraft modifications are needed to convert a commercial aircraft into a microgravity research laboratory. • Learn about trade-offs and fine-tuning a parabola for best microgravity quality or the longest duration • Overview of NASA, CSA and ESA parabolic flight programs and funding sources • Technology Readiness Levels (Part 1) • Description of the logistics of planning a flight campaign and the certification process • Introduction to the Test Equipment Data Package (TEDP) requirements document
Assignment 1: review past TEDPs from PoSSUM, CAN-RGX, CSA, NASA, or ESA
Webinar 2: Description of how a TEDP is used in the payload integration and certification process
• Description of the Interface Control Document (ICD) • Discussion of the format of a TEDP (Part A): • Experiment overview (target audience) • Identifying campaign objectives • Experiment description • Equipment description • Flight plan and flight procedures (Part I) • Ground support requirements
Assignment 2: Start a draft TEDP by proposing an experiment: describe the purpose of the experiment, scientific objectives, and rationale for reduced gravity testing. You do not need to provide details of how the experiment will be built or performed, only the justification of why the experiment should be conducted. What type of payload will it be (educational, science, technology)? Cite literature to show that the proposed experiment is unique and useful. Webinar 3: Technology Readiness Levels (Part 2), Discussion of the format of a TEDP (Part B):
• Flight plan and flight procedures (Part II) • Ground support requirements • Cabin requirements • Project PoSSUM flight campaigns (Part a) • Space suit evaluations (FFD) • Biomonitoring (FFD, NRC, CSA) • Internal Review Board (IRB) / Research Ethics Board (REB) review process
Assignment 3: Continue writing the TEDP: describe the experiment hardware and how the experiment should be operated, describe how the experiment will be performed; provide complete details of the ground and in-flight procedures.
Webinar 4: Discussion of the format of a TEDP (Part C):
• Hazard analysis and mitigation • Structural and electrical load analysis • Payload transport logistics
Assignment 4: Continue writing the TEDP: complete a mechanical load analysis and provide a method of verifying the calculations “in the real world”, complete a hazard analysis by addressing at least 4 hazards for key components of the reduced gravity testing of your experiment
Webinar 5: Project PoSSUM flight campaigns (Part b)
• Solid Body Rotation Experiment (UMES, MIT) • Fluid Configuration Experiment (UT, MIT) • Internal Review Board (IRB) / Research Ethics Board (REB) review process
Assignment 5: Continue writing the TEDP: describe the procedure for mounting and integrating your experiment into the aircraft. Describe all power requirements and all cabin requirements.
Webinar 6: Flight Environment
• Lunar and Martian gravity • G-jitter effects • Description of the 2019 flight campaign
Assignment 6: Finalize the TEDP by including a discussion of the tolerances of your experiment to the effects of g-jitter and negative-g’s. Provide a description of the experimental controls, and ground testing that will be done. What are the potential next steps for the payload (e.g. fly to station)?
Webinar 7 & 8: Student presentations of their experimental ideas and TEDP
• Students should prepare a presentation of their TEDP with schematics, photos, or videos of their proposed payload.
Assignment 7: Completed TEDP is due.
Webinar 9: Briefing with details related to the September 2020 NRC Flight Campaign
• Logistics Review • Flight Roster • List of experiments and research objectives • Ground and Flight crew roles assigned
Flight Campaign: 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. Additional details of the flight campaign will be provided in the webinars.
Instructor: Dr. Aaron Persad
BIO 104: Advanced Egress and Post-Landing Space Suit Operations
Objective:
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.
Learning Objectives:
1. Demonstrate stable floatation for various size test subjects 2. Demonstrate reliable functionality of parachute release in varying sea conditions 3. Demonstrate reliable functionality of snorkel system in varying sea conditions 4. Demonstrate raft ingress in varying sea conditions 5. Qualitative assessments of suit functionality and comfort with LPU 6. Demonstrate effective use of radios, beacons, signal flares, and other signaling devices in water 7. Demonstrate effective use of egress bottle 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)
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
EDU 101: Citizen Science Research Methods
Objective: The purpose of this course is to give PoSSUM scientist astronaut candidates a foundation on which to participate in or conduct their own research, complimentary to the science activities of PoSSUM, OTTER, and IIAS.
Goals:
Upon completing this course, scientist astronaut candidates will be able to:
1. Describe existing citizen science work supported by space agencies 2. Design and propose citizen science research projects 3. Demonstrate the requirements for human subject research 4. Communicate the current gaps in knowledge within bioastronautics, EVA, spacecraft technologies, and aeronomy research 5. Develop and present their own citizen science research project proposal with objectives, procedures, budget, and data collection and analysis strategy
Texts:
Please view slides, supplemental articles, assignment instructions, and links before each webinar in the shared course drive.
Syllabus:
Webinar 1: Introduction to Citizen Science Research (S. Ritter) • Course overview, definition of citizen science, funding opportunities • Example projects Webinar 2: Introduction to Human Subjects Research (K. Harris) • CITI Program, Institutional Review Boards, informed consent • Data management, study design Webinar 3: Citizen Science in Bioastronautics & Microgravity Spacesuit Evaluation (S. Ritter, H. Hammerstein) • Spaceflight physiology and study design (S. Ritter) • Microgravity spacesuit evaluation (H. Hammerstein) Webinar 4: Citizen Science in Extravehicular Activity, Remove Medicine, Life Support, S. Ritter • Research in space and remote medicine, space analogs • Life Support Systems, EVA operations Webinar 5: Citizen Science in Spaceflight Systems, Aeronomy and Remote Sensing, H. Hammerstein, S. Ritter • Spacecraft systems engineering (H. Hammerstein) • Artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics (S. Ritter) • Suborbital space environments, Teachers in Space (H. Hammerstein) • Remote sensing of noctilucent clouds, CubeSats, Virtual Reality (S. Ritter) Webinar 6: Citizen Science at NASA Science Mission Directorate, M. Kuchner, S. Higashio • NASA Citizen Science: From Space Tomatoes to Planet 9 (M. Kuchner) • Using Citizen Science to Search for Young Moving Groups in Virtual Reality (S. Higashio) Webinar 7-9: Proposal Presentations
Assignments:
Use the PoSSUM assignment instructions (in the shared course drive) to: 1. Describe how citizen science enabled a specific research project or discovery that would have otherwise been infeasible. 2. Develop a research project idea of your own and the means by which citizen science methods could be of benefit. 3. Complete a funding proposal for your research project 4. Present your funding proposal to the class and provide feedback for others
Instructor: Mr. Scott Ritter
EVA 101: Life Support Systems
Objectives:
EVA 101 will familiarize the student with the essential features of life support systems required for various types of space missions. This course covers the requirements and design considerations for life support systems in space. Included are an introduction to basic human physiology, a description of the space environment, a survey of historical life support systems, and a presentation of spacecraft limitations and requirements. The course concludes with an introduction to EVA space suit operations with the Final Frontier EVA space suit.
Goals:
Upon completion of the course the students will be able to:
1. Describe those attributes of human physiology requiring protection during in space flight with specific reference to the cardiovascular, fluid and skeletal systems.
2. Describe the impact of the psychological effects of long duration space flight.
3. Describe the evolution of life support systems from Mercury to the International Space Station.
4. Identify each of the 6 sub-systems of the ISS life support system and describe what each does with reference to specific sub systems within each sub system.
5. Discuss the role of air and water reuse in long duration space operations with particular reference to the concept of a closed life support system.
6. Describe the space environment, and describe protection techniques for humans against solar flares, galactic cosmic rays and microgravity.
7. Review and list the limitations placed on logistical support and life support requirements on the major NASA space projects (Moon, DSG and Mars missions).
8. Briefly discuss future life support requirements for missions beyond Earth orbit, including extended stays on the lunar surface and manned missions to Mars. Explain the rationale for human phenotyping, genetic manipulation and human hibernation in the context of long duration missions.
Textbook: Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics. Space Technology Library
Curriculum:
Week 1. Life support introduction Week 2. The space environment Week 3. Life support system basics Week 4. Physico-chemical life support systems Part I Week 5. Physico-chemical life support systems Part II Week 6. Bioregenerative life support systems Week 7. ISS and spacecraft life support systems Week 8. Future life support system
Instructor: Dr. Erik Seedhouse
EVA 102: Operational Space Medicine
Course Description: EVA 102 participants will learn about space medicine, wilderness medicine, human performance, leadership and psychological resilience. The course will dedicate a special focus to extreme environment & wilderness medicine, and how the spaceflight environments may inform triage and first aid scenarios. The on-site portion of this class will focus on wilderness medicine in extreme environments, culminating with a 4-day on-site lab portion devoted to triage, scenarios and skills pertaining to wilderness medicine. Basic and Advanced First Aid certifications and graduation from the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut program or Advanced PoSSUM Academy is prerequisite to EVA 102. EVA 101 is highly recommended.
It is anticipated that at the end of this course, participants will have gained 1) basic knowledge and understanding of space medicine and physiology, specifically the space environment as it pertains to human health pre-, post- and in- flight, 2) an appreciation of extreme environments and how they inform space exploration, and 3) a basic understanding of, and be able to demonstrate basic competency in skills related to wilderness medicine and outdoor survival.
Textbooks (provided):
• Pandya and von Kraus, Space and Remote Medicine • Clement G. Fundamentals of Space Medicine, Third Edition, Springer
Scientific papers :
• Nicogossian A. Medicine and space exploration. Lancet Extrem medicine, 2003 Dec • Stewart LH, Trunkey D, Rebagliati ? Emergency medicine in space. J Emerg Med. 2007 Jan;32(1):45-54 • Komorowski M et al. Fundamentals of Anesthesiology for Spaceflight. J Cardioth Vasc Anest. 2016 Jan • Jennings RT et al. Medical Qualification of a Commercial Spaceflight Participant : Not Your Average Astronaut. Aviat Space Environ Med 2006 ; 77 :475-484 • Bogomolov VV et al. International Space Station Medical Standards and Certification for Space Flight Participants. Aviat Space Environ Med 2007 ;78 :1162-9 • Jennings RT et al ; The ISS Flight of Richard Garriott : a Template for Medicine and Science Investigation on Future Spaceflight Participant Missions.
NB: The practical component of this class will include a significant outdoor component. Participants will need to be medically cleared by their physician to take part and should expect to partake in strenuous physical activity. A suggested gear list will be sent out well in advance of the course.
Curriculum: Coursework, self-study, didactic lectures, office hours. Web portal with presentations, videos will host course material that students can access. Online Seminars (12 hours) = 6 x 2 hours – Each 2 hour webinar will consist of a didactic component, self-study & pre-reading as preparation, discussion and a post-webinar evaluation.
Webinar 1: Introduction to the Spaceflight Environment & Human Health Issues in Spaceflight Webinar 2: Principles of Survival & Wilderness Medicine Webinar 3: Overview of Classroom Component Webinar 4: Introduction to the Space Medicine Challenges and Concepts. Webinar 5: Introduction to Space Medicine specifications and developments: Commercial Spaceflight-Class, Exploration-Class, Settlement-Class. Webinar 6: Introduction to Operational Space Medicine and Spaceflight Healthcare System.
Classroom component and survival course: Didactic Classroom & Practical Component (40 hours = 4.5 days)
Day 1: Arrival and check-in + ½ day classroom component Day 2-4: Classroom component, skill building, triage, scenarios. Day 5: Individual skills assessments, group and individual debrief, course evaluations, pack-up, leave
Webinar 1: Introduction to the Spaceflight Environment & Human Health Issues in Spaceflight (Pandya/von Kraus) Topics include: radiation, microgravity, temperature, closed living quarters, altered day/night cycles, vibration, nutrition in space, physiological adaptations/maladaptations to space: cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, nervous, visual, immune, bone, deconditioning/post-landing physiology (impaired balance, orthostatic hypotension, muscle atrophy, etc.), counter-measures pre/post/in-flight. Continuation of post-flight physiology and impacts on post-flight medical scenarios. Overview of common post-flight medical scenarios. Webinar, discussion + post-seminar evaluation
Webinar 2: Principles of Survival & Wilderness Medicine I (Pandya/von Kraus)
Survival principles, Overview of Wilderness Medicine and introduction to Wilderness Triage & approach to a creating a medical kit, Teamwork, leadership, survival mentality & psychological resilience/resilience-building, decision- making, dealing with stress, discipline, situational awareness and professionalism. Webinar, discussion + post-seminar evaluation
Webinar 3: Overview of Classroom Component (von Kraus/Pandya)
Overview of practical component, Suggested gear list, gadgets and tech in the wild, further opportunities in space and wilderness medicine, including extreme and analog environments & space exploration. Webinar, discussion + post- seminar evaluation
Webinar 4: Introduction to the Space Medicine Challenges and Concepts (Saget)
Medicine concepts and challenges emerging from radiation, microgravity, confined isolation, social psychology, circadian rythm, vibrations, contaminants, nutritional aspects, adaptations, neuro-ocular syndrom, : cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, nervous, immune, bone, deconditioning upon landing, Life Support Systems. Management : prevention, mitigation, counter-measures, telemedicine. Discussion regarding expected medical scenarios, case studies.
Webinar 5: Introduction to Space Medicine specifications and developments: Commercial Spaceflight-Class, Exploration-Class, Settlement-Class. (Saget)
Rationales and discussions regarding previous and upcoming Spaceflight Range-Classes : Suborbital, LEO, Moon (CLO, Settlement), Deep Space (Flybys, Asteroïds, Phobos, Mars, Solar System exploration): Earthbound medical spin- offs and related applications, remote medicine. Basic, Advanced, Expert medical training. Development of commercial spaceflight and new clinical and surgical skills needs. Increased duration of missions and distance from Earth and new medical events to manage, new organization between ground control and crew resources.
Webinar 6: Introduction to Operational Space Medecine and Spaceflight Healthcare System (Saget)
Principles and state of the art. ISS medical support current organization and Astronauts medical pathway. Medical. Behavior and Human Performance aspects. Critical requirements for deep space exploration. Perspectives and prospective : focus on P3 medicine, NBIC biomedical innovations, crew wellness, nutrigenomics, VRAR, 3D printing, genetic tools (i.e. Crispr-Cas systems), telehealth (monitoring, telemedicine, telesurgery) technologies, robotics, autonomous and drones interaction. Applied emergency medicine and MEVA (medical extra-vehicular activity).
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
Instructors: Dr. Shawna Pandya, Dr. Jeremy Saget
EVA 103: Planetary Field Geology and EVA Tool Development
Course Description:
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.
Goals:
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a foundational understanding of the requirements, methods, and limitations of conducting geologic field work during EVAs on planetary surfaces such as the Moon and Mars.
Course Performance Objectives
Upon completion of the course the students will be able to:
1. Describe and demonstrate basic field geology skills, including quantitative and qualitative observations of geologic materials and structures. 2. Discuss and demonstrate the importance of maintaining geologic situational awareness and recording geologic context for conducting effective and efficient geologic field work. 3. Discuss and demonstrate the importance of traverse planning and the flexible execution of field plans while conducting geologic field work. 4. Describe the primary geologic processes responsible for shaping planetary surfaces such as that of Mars and the Moon. 5. Discuss some of the fundamental, high-priority open questions about Mars and the Moon that can be addressed using field geology. 6. Describe the physical environments (atmosphere, geology, topography, etc.) of Mars and the Moon, particularly with regard to constraints, limitations, and opportunities for surface science EVAs. 7. Review past efforts for conducting field geology on Mars and the Moon during missions using robotic (e.g. MER, MSL, etc.) and human (e.g. Apollo) assets, particularly with regard to EVA suits, tools, and procedures used and how they affected the science return of those missions 8. Review past and current Earth analog field research and training campaigns, particularly with regard to EVA suit, tool, and procedure design for next-generation planetary geologic field work. 9. Analyze and discuss the considerations for the design, fabrication, deployment, and evaluation of a geologic tool (and associated use procedures, test protocols, field traverse plans, etc.) to be used during a planetary surface EVA, to include science task requirements; environmental, ergonomic, safety and other limitations; mission constraints such as mass, power, time, etc. 10. Design, fabricate, test and evaluate a geologic tool (and associated use procedures, test protocols, field traverse plans, etc.) to be used during a planetary surface EVA. 11. Discuss and demonstrate the practical considerations involved in planning and executing a field campaign at a planetary analog site.
Curriculum:
Weeks 1-2. Introduction to geology and planetary geologic processes Week 3. Geology and surface environment of the Moon, including open science questions Week 4. Geology and surface environment of Mars, including open science questions Weeks 5-6. Planetary field geology: terrestrial field geology; past efforts and lessons learned from Apollo to MSL; current efforts and lessons learned at analog sites Week 7-8: Martian Atmospheres Weeks 9-10. Analysis, design, and fabrication of geologic tools for field testing; traverse planning
Field Work
The online portion of the 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.
Instructors: Dr. José Hurtado, Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj
EVA 104: Gravity-Offset EVA Space Suit Evaluation
Objectives: EVA 104 extends upon the introductory life support system curriculum presented in EVA 101 to include specific EVA space suit systems and test and validation procedures. The course covers a historical analysis of specific US and Russian EVA space suit development programs, EVA space suit systems, laboratory test protocols, terminology and etiquette, EVA space suit test development, and design drivers of future EVA space suit systems. Students will be responsible to develop testing procedures based on tools and procedures developed in EVA 102 (Operational Space Medicine), EVA 103 (Planetary Field Geology), or for microgravity operations.
Textbooks:
U.S. Spacesuits, Kenneth Thomas and Harold McMann, Springer, 2nd ed. (2012)
Russian Spacesuits, Issac Abramov et al., Springer, (2003)
Curriculum:
Week 1. EVA space suit introduction Week 2. Historical analysis of Russian EVA Space Suits Week 3. Historical analysis of US EVA Space Suits Week 4. EVA Space Suit Systems: LCG system, chest control board, communications, and lighting. Week 5. EVA Space Suit Systems: diagnostics and repair, biomonitoring systems, suit maintenance Week 6: MCC Operations, etiquette and terminology, test roles and responsibilities Week 7: EVA Testing Procedure Development, Airlocks and Airlock Procedures Week 8: Future of EVA space suit development Week 9: Briefings of EVA test procedures 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.
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
EVA 105: Underwater Analog EVA Space Suit Evaluation
Objectives: EVA 105 extends upon the introductory life support system curriculum presented in EVA 101 to include specific EVA space suit systems and test and validation procedures in an underwater analog environment. The course covers a historical analysis of specific US and Russian EVA space suit development programs, EVA space suit systems, laboratory test protocols, terminology and etiquette, EVA space suit test development, and design drivers of future EVA space suit systems. Students will be responsible to develop testing procedures based on tools and procedures developed in EVA 102 (Operational Space Medicine), EVA 103 (Planetary Field Geology), or for microgravity operations.
Goals: To provide entry-level familiarization of operations and tasks associated with in-space EVA.
Curriculum:
1. Underwater environment: Classification: freediving, scuba diving, saturation diving, caisson works, Brief history of underwater testing for space application, Types of underwater tests, Benefits of underwater tests, Limitations of underwater testing, Certifications and requirements, Risks associated with underwater testing, Closed water vs open waters, Salt vs fresh water effects, Preserving wildlife and environment, Neutral buoyancy pools, Underwater habitats
2. Human performance and limitations: Legal definition of a diving accident, Medical aspects of underwater activity, Saturation diving definition and associated problems, DCS, barotrauma, edema and other diving sickness, Saturation diving, Stings, bites, Blunt and crushing injuries, Sharp and penetrating wounds, bleeding, Loss of consciousness, Breathing problems, oxygen toxicity, breathing mixtures, Pressure equalization, Nitrogen narcosis, Diving accident treatment, DAN, first emergency response
3. Underwater Procedures: Sample collection and documentation, Search patterns, Emergency response and contingency protocols, CPR, medevac, emergency depress, Rescue diving procedures, Saturation diving rescue procedures, Saturation diving pressurised invasive treatment
4. Testing tools: Drills, Scoops, Carts, Pickers, Rock hammers and outcropping, Sample collection bags, Video cameras, photo cameras, handheld and mounted, In-situ measurements, Optical (laser) measurements and limitations, Measurements, Material performance and 3D printed tools, Explosives, Navigation
5. Testing suits: Suit types and applications, Human performance and limitations, Certifications and requirements, Design considerations, Salt water influence on material and metalic elements (corrosion), Hands, gloves and dexterity, Interfaces and operability, Operational procedures and leak checks, Stowage and handling, Light system and cooling, Communication, Life support, CO2 scrubbers and rebreathers, Biomedical parameter monitoring, Contingency situations (air starvation, CO2 buildup, leaks, ear-pressure, net entanglement, loosing buoyancy, accidental ascent), Suit floatation system, emergency egress.
6. EVA training: EVA pre-familiarization, Orientation and navigation, Tool handling, Manipulating massive objects, Tethers, traversal and transitions, Vocabulary and communicating intentions, Contingency procedures, Airlock egress and ingress (nominal, and contingency with incapacitated astronaut), Photo-shoots without viewfinder
7. Vehicle utilization: ROVs and AUVs, Diver Propulsion Vehicles, Crewed vehicles: one person, multi-crew, Pressure, materials and safety-margins, Propellers and propellants, Light systems and cooling, Life support systems, Communication, Grippers and manipulators, Human interfaces, Human robotic interaction, Safety protocols, Contingency situations
8. Reduced mobility and movement: Achieving neutral buoyancy, Loosing neutral buoyancy, Water resistance, Joint movement range, Reachability, Free-floating vs on-ground tests, Anchoring, traversing and translations, Ladders, ropes, ramps, climbing, boulders, Underwater navigation
9. Underwater habitats: Architectural variations, History of underwater habitation, Theoretical model, Life support systems, Maintenance problems, Crew composition, Accidents
10. Isolation studies: Dexterity and performance evaluation, Cognitive and psychomotor evaluation, Research Problems, Crew selection, Sociodynamics, Conflicts and resolutions, Work overload and productivity.
EVA Operations Field Campaign
Student Surface Preparation
1. Surface suit/system familiarization 2. Safety briefing – hand signals, loss of comm, etc 3. One-g class room prep-training a. Tool familiarization b. Tether protocols i. Astronaut tethers ii. Tool/hardware/payload tethers c. Procedures i. EVA specific ii. Pool specific d. Communications e. Hardware familiarization f. EVA Ops briefings g. Space vs. pool EVA ∆s
Course Outline
1. Surface prep, pool prep, and suit up 2. Safety brief 3. Enter water and ingress airlock 4. Start Exercise a. Depressurize airlock b. Open airlock hatch c. Translate to tool box d. Retrieve tools for Task #1 e. Translate to work station #1 f. Perform Task #1 g. Translate to tool box h. Stow tools i. Retrieve tools for Task #2 j. Retrieve “payload” k. Translate to work station #2 l. Perform Task #2 m. Translate to tool box n. Stow Task #2 tools o. Retrieve Task #3 Tools p. Translate to work station #3 q. Perform Task #3 r. Emergency Scenario s. Translate to airlock t. Ingress airlock u. Close hatch v. Repressurize 5. End Exercise 6. Debrief
Task #1 – Tether protocols, translation, tool manipulation
• Retrieve socket wrench and appropriate sockets • Translate to work site #1 observing proper tether protocols for tools and self • Configure wrench with proper socket following tether protocols • Turn bolts w/out foot restraint • Stow tools • Attach electrical connector • Translate to tool box observing proper tether protocols for tools and self • Stow tools
Task #2 – Payload Installation
• Retrieve tools • Retrieve “payload” • Translate to work site #2 observing proper tether protocols for tools, payload, and self • Enter foot restraint • Install payload and secure • Stow tools • Translate to tool box observing proper tether protocols for tools and self • Stow tools
Emergency (e.g. suit leak)
• Follow emergency checklist • Stow tools • Translate to airlock • Close hatch • Repressurize airlock
Instructor: Ken Trujillo, Dr. Aaron Persad
FTE 101: Fundamentals of Flight Test Engineering
Objectives: Fundamentals of Flight Test Engineering is a class-room course which will provide basic introduction to aircraft flight test concepts, methods, and planning. Course focusses on concepts of aerodynamics, airplane performance, and stability and control. Practical exercises in aircraft performance, stability and control utilize single engine, multi-engine, and jet powered aircraft.
Textbooks:
Introduction to Flight Test Engineering, RTO AGARDograph 300, Flight Test Techniques Series – Volume 14, AC/323(SCI-FT3)TP/74
Flight Testing of Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Ralph D. Kimberlin, AIAA Education Series, ISBN-13 978-1563475641, ISBN- 10 1563475642
Curriculum:
1. Flight Test Overview a. Flight Test Engineer R&R b. Test Team Organization c. Safety d. Airworthiness Requirements 2. Atmospherics a. Standard Atmosphere b. Pitot and Pitot-static Systems c. Altimetry & Altitude d. Aerodynamics e. Static Pressure f. Temperature g. Density h. Viscosity i. Pressure Altitude j. Density Altitude 3. Aircraft Descriptions and Systems a. Flight & Engine Instruments b. Flight Controls c. Configurations & Characteristics i. Aircraft ii. Wings/Airfoils d. Coordinate Systems e. Aircraft Systems f. Aircraft Weight & Loadings 4. Aerodynamics – Intro a. Airspeeds: Errors & Calibration (V speeds) b. Pitot Statics c. Operating Limits d. Basic Lift Equation i. Lift Coefficient ii. Dynamic Pressure & Surface Area iii. Stall e. Drag Determination f. Load factors g. V-n Diagram & Aircraft Flight Envelope h. Propeller Theory i. Two-dimensional Aerodynamics j. Three-dimensional Aerodynamics k. Determination of Engine Power 5. Aerodynamics – Flight Test a. Aircraft Single-engine Performance i. Level Flight Performance ii. Turning Performance b. Takeoff and Landing Theory and Methods c. Longitudinal Stability – Static and Dynamic d. Lateral-Directional Aerodynamics e. Level Flight Performance – Propeller Driven and Jet Aircraft f. Range and Endurance g. Climb Performance h. Lateral Control – Roll Performance i. Directional Control j. Flying Qualities k. Stall Characteristics l. Maneuvering Loads m. High α n. Control of Airspeed & Altitude & AoA o. Aircraft Handling Qualities p. Flutter 6. Flight Test Maneuvers a. Airspeed Calibration b. Symmetrical Maneuvers c. Rolling Maneuvers d. Yawing Maneuvers e. Stall f. High α g. Longitudinal Stability/Trim h. Roll Performance i. Accel-Decel j. Flutter k. Level Turn Performance l. Spin Recovery m. Sawtooth Climb – Climb Performance n. Power Required o. Max Performance Climb p. Man Performance Landing q. Control Pulse – Dynamic Response r. Doublet s. POPU t. Wind-up Turn u. Steady Heading Sideslips 7. Test Planning and Operations a. Test Plan Development b. Test Card Development c. Safety & Risk Management d. Weather brief and minimums e. Instrumentation / Data Processing i. Telemetry and data recording ii. Sensors f. Control Room Operations i. Radio communications ii. Control room iii. Crew Resource Management iv. Terminology
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
FTE 102: Fixed-Wing Flight Testing - Performance
Objectives: Fixed-Wing Performance reviews the concepts and maneuvers for evaluating and determining the performance characteristics of single- and multi-engine aircraft. These concepts will be used to develop test cards and maneuvers for evaluating the performance of a Mooney M20K and a Piper Saratoga aircraft. Post test data analysis and final test report will be submitted by students.
Goals:
Textbooks:
Introduction to Flight Test Engineering, RTO AGARDograph 300, Flight Test Techniques Series – Volume 14, AC/323(SCI-FT3)TP/74
Flight Testing of Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Ralph D. Kimberlin, AIAA Education Series, ISBN-13 978-1563475641, ISBN- 10 1563475642
Curriculum:
1. Review a. Takeoff Performance b. Climb Performance c. Level Flight Performance d. Range and Endurance Performance e. Turning Performance f. Landing Performance 2. Test Methods and Maneuvers a. Speed Power b. Takeoff Performance c. Climb Performance – Sawtooth Climbs d. Level Flight Performance e. Endurance f. Turn Performance g. Landing Performance 3. Flight Test Planning a. Test Card Development b. Instrumentation and Data Methods c. Safety Review d. Test Briefing 4. Performance Evaluation a. Mooney b. Saratoga
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
FTE 103: Fixed-Wing Flight Testing – Stability and Control
Objectives: Fixed Wing Stability and Control reviews the concepts and maneuvers for evaluating and determining the stability and control characteristics of single- and multi-engine aircraft. These concepts will be used to develop test cards and maneuvers for evaluating the stability and control of a Mooney M20K, a Pitts S2B, and a Piper Turbo Saratoga aircraft. Post test data analysis and final test report will be submitted by students.
Textbooks:
Introduction to Flight Test Engineering, RTO AGARDograph 300, Flight Test Techniques Series – Volume 14, AC/323(SCI-FT3)TP/74
Flight Testing of Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Ralph D. Kimberlin, AIAA Education Series, ISBN-13 978-1563475641, ISBN- 10 1563475642
Curriculum:
1. Review a. Static and Dynamic Longitudinal Stability b. Longitudinal Control and Trim c. Lateral-Directional Stability d. Rolling Performance e. Directional Control f. Stalls g. Flying Qualities 2. Test Methods and Maneuvers a. Control Pulses b. Pushover-Pullup c. Roll Reversal d. Xx e. Xx 3. Flight Test Planning a. Test Card Development b. Instrumentation and Data Methods c. Safety Review d. Test Briefing 4. Performance Evaluations a. Mooney M20K b. Pitts S2B c. Piper Saratoga
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
FTE 104: High Performance Flight Testing
Objectives: High-Performance Flight Testing reviews the concepts and maneuvers for evaluating and determining and evaluating stability, control, and performance characteristics of a high performance, turbine powered SIAI-Marchetti aircraft. Post test data analysis and final test report will be submitted by students.
Textbooks:
Introduction to Flight Test Engineering, RTO AGARDograph 300, Flight Test Techniques Series – Volume 14, AC/323(SCI-FT3)TP/74
Flight Testing of Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Ralph D. Kimberlin, AIAA Education Series, ISBN-13 978-1563475641, ISBN- 10 1563475642
Curriculum:
1. Climb Performance 2. Level Flight Performance 3. Control Pulses 4. Pushover-Pullup 5. Roll Reversal 6. Flight Test Planning a. Test Card Development b. Instrumentation and Data Methods c. Safety Review d. Test Briefing 7. Performance Evaluation in SIAI-Marchetti S.211
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
OPS 101: System Engineering for Human Space Flight
Course Description: This course covers the roles and responsibilities of the Systems Engineer in supporting the concepts, planning, design, test, verification, operations, and disposal of aerospace systems. The course covers classical Systems Engineering processes with emphasis on spaceflight vehicles and will include assignments to introduce the students to the skills required for successful spacecraft design.
Goals: The purpose of this course is to expose the student to the role of the Systems Engineer in the spacecraft development process and to provide an introduction to Systems Engineering as applied to spacecraft and space systems development. Additionally, the course will provide the students an overview of Systems Engineering methods and tools and an understanding of why Systems Engineering is important to program success.
Course Performance Objectives:
Upon completion of this course the students will be able to:
1. Describe the role of the Systems Engineer in spacecraft development 2. Define the project lifecycle and describe the Systems Engineer’s role in each phase 3. Understand and demonstrate the importance of good requirements development 4. Understand and demonstrate mission analysis, systems functional analysis, and hazard analysis. 5. Understand and demonstrate test and verification planning 6. Understand and demonstrate Master Planning and Scheduling. 7. Understand and demonstrate Technical and Risk management principles
Text-Book and Materials: NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, NASA/SP-2016-6105 Rev 2
Agenda:
Week 1: Role of the Systems Engineer and the Systems Engineering Process Week 2: Program Lifecycles and Phases- Products and Reviews Week 3: Analyzing stakeholder needs and concept definition Week 4: Technical Management: Planning the Work and Master Schedules Week 5: Risk Management Week 6: System Integration: Requirements Development and Flowdown Week 7: System Analysis and Design Week 8: Design Downsize and Production Week 9: Test and Verification Week 10: Deployment, Operations and Disposal Week 11: Risk Management Week 12: Project presentations
Instructor: Ken Trujillo
OPS 102: Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations
Objective:
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.
Curriculum
Each program provides an immersive educational experience covering the following topics:
Spaceflight-Specific Topics of Study:
• Planning for Nominal and Contingency Landings • Nominal Rescue Operations • Contingency Rescue Operations for Land Landing Spacecraft • International Program-Specific Agreements • Global SAR Response Resources supporting Contingency Landings • Contingency Rescue Operations for Water Landing Spacecraft • Pad Egress Failure Environments, Pad Egress Design and Operations • Early De-orbit scenarios • Post-Landing Contingencies • Egress Systems • Egress Procedures and Operations • Assessing Probabilities and Effects of Injuries and Deconditioning • Assessing the Effects of Deconditioning on Egress Operations • Incapacitation through Entrapment • Egress and Post-Landing Operations in the Age of Commercial Manned Spaceflight • Emergency Post-Landing Survival Kits, Medical Resources
Fundamental Egress and Post-Landing Survivability Skills:
• Safety and survival equipment utilization and deployment • Coping with physiological and psychological stress • Introduction of rescue devices and simulated rescues • Preparation for emergency landing situations in a spacecraft • Evacuation through an emergency exit from a spacecraft • Physics and physiology for use of compressed air; • Preflight inspection, egress considerations, and clearing procedures using an EBD • Conducting an emergency egress on breath hold utilizing the Shallow Water Egress Trainer • Conducting an emergency egress with an EBD utilizing the Shallow Water Egress Trainer • Evacuation and escape training utilizing the Modular Egress Training Simulator (METS™) with and without utilizing an EBD
Sea Survival Skills:
• Safety and survival equipment utilization and deployment • Introduction to hypothermia mitigation and sea survival • Personal rescue techniques and use of life rafts and signaling devices • Characteristics of personal flotation devices and aviation jackets • Life raft deployment/entry and simulated emergency scenarios • Introduction to individual and group sea surface formations • Introduction to search and rescue resources and equipment
Instructor: Dr. Jason Reimuller
OPS 103: Fundamentals of Space Robotics
Objectives: OPS 103 provides students a practical foundation to construct robotic systems using microprocessors, sensors, and actuators to solve a practical objective in a space analog environment. A broad understanding of existing systems such as the Canadarm as well as the opportunity to become familiarized with operational control systems throgh hands-on training exercises will be provided.
Goals: Course details to be released in August 2020
Instructor: Dr. Aaron Persad
OPS 104: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation
Description:
This course provides an overview of orbital and attitudinal dynamics, provides a foundation in space flight mechanics, to understand why a spacecraft follows suborbital, orbital, and escape trajectories, and the methods used to establish and control these trajectories. The intent is to provide a meaningful understanding of spacecraft flight dynamics with minimal mathematical emphasis. Thus, the student will gain sufficient knowledge that, when presented with mission profiles from a flight dynamics specialist, they will have a conceptual understanding of the flight profiles and the sequence of events needed to actualize the profile in a simulation environment.
Goals:
The purpose of this course is to provide a foundation in space flight mechanics, so as to understand why a spacecraft follows suborbital, orbital, and escape trajectories and the methods used to establish and control these trajectories. This knowledge will facilitate flight profile execution in the simulators.
Objectives
Upon completing this course, scientist candidates will be able to:
1. Explain the relationship of gravity and velocity in establishing suborbital, orbital, and escape trajectories. 2. Describe vehicle attitude representations and control methods. 3. Describe an orbit around a celestial body using classical Keplerian Elements. 4. Explain the use of velocity changes to change from an existing to a desired trajectory. 5. Demonstrate the use of simplified linearized approximations and their effective use in rendezvous and proximity operations in preparation for docking. 6. Describe profiles for establishing departure, rendezvous, encounters, entry, and landings between planets or other celestial bodies.
Curriculum: Part 1 provides the astrodynamics foundation, which is 11 weeks of webinar lectures, that provides foundational knowledge of orbital mechanics and attitudinal dynamics to facilitate performance in simulator scenarios.
Part 2 will be a four-day Orion and Soyuz spacecraft simulator-based course. Lectures will focus on the practical aspects of flight dynamics, helpful toward executing the simulator scenarios: 1. Launch to ISS orbital intercept/rendezvous using space suits. 2. ISS proximity operations and docking, flight suit environment 3. Deorbit and landing scenarios using space suits
Executive Officers
Dr. Jason Reimuller, Executive Director
Dr. Jason Reimuller is the Executive Director of Project PoSSUM aeronomy research and education program and also serves as Co-I of the PMC-Turbo experiment. In addition, Jason works as a commercial research pilot and flight test engineer with GATS, Inc., is a NAUI SCUBA Divemaster, and is the author of “Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations.” Jason served for six years as a system engineer and project manager for NASA’s Constellation Program, leading studies on launch aborts, launch commit criteria, landing conditions, post-landing and emergency crew egress trades, and propulsion options. Jason also led a NASA and NSF-funded flight research campaign to study noctilucent cloud time evolution, structure, and dynamics in Northern Canada as lead investigator and pilot-in-command. Jason has been a Commissioned Officer of the US Air Force.
Jason holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado in Boulder, an M.S. degree in Physics from San Francisco State University, an M.S. degree in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee, an M.S. Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado, and a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Dr. Aaron Persad, Director of Bioastronautics
Dr. Aaron Persad is a researcher in Space Sciences with 15 years of experience in the field. He leads various Space Science projects such as studies of the behavior of water in low-gravity environments, how to harvest water from the Moon to support long-duration human space missions, the performance of organic-based solar cells in the stratosphere, testing the next generation of space suits, and many others. His experiments and payloads have been performed in drop towers, stratospheric balloons, reduced gravity aircraft, and the International Space Station.
Dr. Persad is also a Postdoctoral Associate in the Mechanical Engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research in the MIT Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Research Lab investigates how to filter molecules of different shapes and masses across custom-made membranes that are only one atom thick. The filters may help improve water purification, and recycling of harsh solvents from industrial processes. His doctoral degree is in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) from the University of Toronto, where his work focused on applying quantum mechanics to explain evaporation processes and was ranked as the top in the department at the time of his graduation.
Dr. Persad is enthusiastic about teaching and was recognized as the top Teaching Assistant by the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2013. He is training to be an astronaut and was ranked amongst the top 60 candidates in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2017 Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. Aaron enjoys snowboarding in the winter, hiking in the summer, and learning about history and philosophy in between.
Dr. Dave Fritts, Director of Aeronomy
Dr. Dave Fritts is PoSSUM’s Chief Scientist and has worked in a number of areas of atmospheric dynamics extending from the stable boundary layer (SBL) into the thermosphere, acquiring broad experience with theoretical, modeling, and experimental activities. He has guided a number of experimental programs, including rocket campaigns in Alaska, Norway, Sweden, and Brazil, radar measurements on six continents, and multi-instrument field programs (see Synergistic activities above). He has installed MF or meteor radars at Hawaii, McMurdo, Rothera, Rarotonga, Tierra del Fuego (TdF), and King George Island (KGI), participated in the planning of the ALOMAR LiDAR/radar observatory in northern Norway, and suggested the formation and structure of the NSF-funded Consortium of Resonance and Rayleigh LiDARs (CRRL) within which he serves as PI for the ALOMAR sodium LiDAR. Dave also helped design and was an Interdisciplinary Scientist with the NASA TIMED satellite mission studying the dynamics and energetics of the middle atmosphere.
Dave holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. degree in physics from the University of Illinois and a B.A. in physics from Carleton College. He has been a professor of physics at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a research professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has over 200 publications; listed among top 1/2% of cited researchers by ISIhighlycited.com. He has served as the Associate Editor for the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences (1991-2011) and the Journal of Geophysical Research (1994-1997). He has served as president of the International Commission on the Middle Atmosphere (ICMA) within IAMAS from 1992 to 1996 and as chairman of the Middle Atmosphere Continuous Upward Coupling of Wave Energy (UCWE) commission from 1989 to 1994.
Mr. Ken Trujillo, Director of Operational Sciences
Kenneth Trujillo is a Systems Engineer and Program Manager with over 25 years’ of experience in management of complex NASA, DoD, and commercial engineering projects. Mr. Trujillo’s NASA experience includes Space Shuttle and International Space Station astronaut training, mission design, and flight control. Mr. Trujillo’s major focus at NASA was with the training and operation of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) used during Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and with the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES) full pressure suit used during Shuttle ascent and re-entry. Mr. Trujillo developed pressure suit-related NASA astronaut training curriculum and procedures at Johnson Space Center, conducted Space Shuttle Extravehicular Activity (EVA) system and operations instruction consisting of classroom, vacuum chamber, neutral-buoyancy, and simulated micro-g training, and conducted ACES pressure suit training. Mr. Trujillo supported over 70 Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions from JSC Mission Control Center. Among other projects, Mr. Trujillo was also assigned as project engineer for system development, test, and certification of NASA’s X-38 lifting body.
After leaving NASA Mr. Trujillo worked as a Flight Test Engineer on the F-35 program at Edwards AFB, CA. As an aircraft lead Mr. Trujillo conducted over 100 sorties as Test Conductor/Test Director for mission system and flight science missions on all three F-35 aircraft variants. Mr. Trujillo developed the F-35 flight controller training curriculum to qualify FTE and IPT personnel to support F-35 flight test missions and provided vehicle systems classroom training, and control room training using high-fidelity, human-in-the-loop simulators leading to control room qualification for test operators. Mr. Trujillo is currently a senior test and airworthiness engineer on the A-29 program in Denver, Colorado.
Yvette Gonzalez, Director of Educational Outreach
Yvette Gonzalez is a Human Resilience expert, Astropreneur, and Project PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Candidate. With 20 years of Development and Emergency Response experience rebuilding communities in active war, conflict, natural disasters, and epidemiological outbreaks, she adapts her skills to focus on Human Factors in space technology, flight, and experience. Most notably the physiological and anthropological effects of long-term flight missions and space habitation. Her transitional career is an example of the possibility of commercial and private sector space flight opportunity for all generations. Yvette aims to be one of many future Native Americans to conduct research in space and supports space settlement education, science, technological efforts, missions, and policy dialogue.
Shayla Redmond, Director of Education
Shayla works as an engineer and teaches at the National STEM Academy in her spare time. She received her bachelor’s of science degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Physics from Tuskegee University and a Master’s of Science Degree in Systems Engineering with a concentration in space systems from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Shayla participates in professional development for teachers and volunteers year-round to support educating people of all ages. She balances between being a mother of two and an active advocate of STEAM with her new non-profit STEAM Unlimited where she develops events that incorporate the “ARTS” in the sciences. She looks forward to continuing her knowledge in research and the testing field of the upper atmosphere and beyond as well as developing educational entertainment with cartoons, movies, and public shows that are not so science fiction.
Capt. Winston Scott, NASA Astronaut (ret.), Advisor
A former NASA astronaut, Captain Winston Scott served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997, and has logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including 3 spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes. Captain Scott also served as a US Navy fighter pilot, production test pilot, and as a research and development project pilot in more than 20 different aircraft.
Chris Lundeen, Facility Management
Chris Lundeen serves as program coordinator for the IIAS educational programs as well as facility lead for a variety of IIAS assets including the post-landing laboratory, the gravity-offset laboratory, the space suit laboratory, and the orbital and suborbital simulators. Chris has a BS degree in recreation resource management and an AS in network programing. Chris is a certified spacesuit technician and is also certified as a simulator technician and pilot for PoSSUM’s simulation facilities.
Aimee Valliere, Educational Program Management
Aimee Valliere is a graduate of the Advanced PoSSUM Academy class 1802, and is currently studying Aeronautical Sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. After completing Advanced PoSSUM Academy, Aimee has remained active with Project PoSSUM, completing Bio 102 (Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations), Bio 103 (Microgravity Spacesuit Evaluation), and Bio 104 (Space Suit Post-Landing operations). Aimee is passionate about teaching STEM and inspiring her students to pursue these topics through outreach and working in informal educational settings to make learning fun. Her work in the education field has taken her to the McAuliffe-Sheppard Discovery Center in Concord, New Hampshire, the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Additionally, Aimee is an advanced scuba diver, holds an amateur radio license, and has been involved in Analog Astronaut missions. Aimee is also a student pilot, working towards her commercial pilot license.
Faculty Members
Paul Buza, D.O. F.A.C.N, Instructor: AST 101
Dr. Paul W. Buza, D.O. F.A.C.N, is board certified in Neurology and specializes in Clinical Hyperbaric Medicine, Cellular Biology, Diving Medicine and Aerospace Physiology. Dr. Buza founded the Southern Aeromedical Institute (SAMI) in July 1999. The primary goal was to establish an advanced clinical hyperbaric and diving medicine program for the east central coast of Florida using a unique hyperbaric/hypobaric chamber. In 2001, the chamber went on line for hypobaric operations for research and training for the aviation community, and in 2002 NASA approved the facility as a triage center for support operations related to the Shuttle Launch Program. Since that time, SAMI has provided over 45,000 patient treatments for the area hospitals and has trained over 3000 pilots in the high-altitude chamber for hypoxia training. In addition, SAMI has provided a platform for research related to the aerospace industry.
Ken Ernandes, M.E., Instructor: OPS 104
Ken Ernandes is an Aerospace Engineer specializing in Space Flight Dynamics. He is employed by L3Harris Technologies and as an Adjunct Professor at Florida Institute of Technology. He is a former U.S. Air Force officer where he was the Chief Orbital Analyst Instructor for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). He also had the opportunity to train in Air Combat Maneuvering as a member of the 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron, flying the F-15 Eagle. Ken has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics/Mathematics from Manhattan College and a Master of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has two patents applying Kalman filtering: one for calibrating non-uniformity of hyperspectral imagers and one (pending) for geo-locating seaborne vessels from space using their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals.
Ken has had the privilege of working with numerous space systems including NAVSTAR GPS and the GOES-R series of meteorological satellites, as well as being a member of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Inter-Operable Radio System (IORS) development team. For ARISS IORS he is primarily responsible for tracking hardware compliance against the rigid NASA crew safety requirements, coordinating with the design engineers, and preparing the corresponding documentation that is delivered to NASA. More recently, he is a member of the Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx) team, which is developing the amateur radio equipment for the Lunar Gateway space station. Ken is a private pilot and a PADI certified Master SCUBA Diver, where he enjoys underwater videography.
Kyle Foster, Ph.D. (pending), Instructor: AER 102
Kyle Foster is an image scientist with over a decade of experience in research, engineering, analytic, and leadership roles. He is a scientist astronaut candidate through Project PoSSUM (Class 1502), where he contributes to image processing and analysis of polar mesospheric cloud data. In 2016, Kyle and three crewmates participated in a thirty day isolation study in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) at NASA Johnson Space Center, during which he supported nearly two dozen different experiments assessing the physiological and psychological stresses of long duration deep space flight. In 2019, Kyle and four crewmates lived underwater for five days for Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology & Underwater Exploration (NEPTUNE) at Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, FL, performing biomedical studies, technical demonstrations, and public outreach as an Explorers Club flagged expedition. Kyle holds a BS in Imaging Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY and an MS in Earth Systems Science from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Kyle is currently pursuing a PhD in Earth Systems & Geoinformation Sciences, also at George Mason University. Originally from West Monroe, NY, Kyle lives with his wife and children in Northern Virginia.
Jose Miguel Hurtado, Jr., Ph.D., P.G., Instructor: EVA 103
Jose was born in Springfield, MA, and growing up in an Air Force family, had the opportunity to live in a wide variety of places, including England and Turkey. He graduated from Vanden High School in Fairfield, CA in 1992, and he then went to the California Institute of Technology where he graduated with a B.S. with honor and and M.S. in geology in 1996. For graduate school, Jose went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied the geologic history of the central Nepal Himalaya. For this research, he had the opportunity to travel to Nepal four times for research expeditions to remote field areas. After earning a Ph.D. in geology in early 2002, Jose did a short postdoctoral fellowship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory before joining the faculty in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso in late 2002. At UTEP, Jose established and oversaw a research and teaching program in field geology, remote sensing, and planetary science. Since 2008, after receiving tenure, Jose has become heavily involved in numerous NASA-related activities, including analog field research and astronaut training. As member of the 2009-2012 science teams for the NASA Desert RATS field tests, Jose served as a test subject and crewmember for several 1- to 2- week mission simulations that investigated new rover and habitat technologies as well as procedures for science operations on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. Jose has also been field geology instructor for the 2009, 2013, and 2017 NASA astronaut candidate classes (and was himself a semi-finalist for those NASA astronaut selections). Jose has also pursued suborbital astronaut training of his own, including the NASTAR suborbital scientist course, the PoSSUM scientist-astronaut course (1701), Survival Systems USA water egress and survival, among others. During 2014-2015, Jose worked for Virgin Galactic in Mojave, CA as an astronaut instructor and life-support engineer. His duties included developing the classroom and practical (high-G, etc.) training program for Virgin Galactic customers.
Armin Kleinböhl, Ph.D. Instructor: AER 101
Dr. Armin Kleinböhl is a research scientist in the fields of atmospheric and planetary science at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. He is an expert in airborne and spaceborne remote sensing and the Deputy Principal Investigator and algorithm lead of the Mars Climate Sounder instrument onboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, which has been observing the atmosphere of Mars since 2006. Dr. Kleinböhl is a veteran of several airborne and balloon-borne field campaigns that lead him on deployments in the Arctic, Europe, North America and Africa in order to study the stratospheric ozone layer and to validate satellite measurements.
Dr. Kleinböhl’s scientific work focuses on the chemistry and dynamics of the atmospheres of Earth and Mars. His has made significant contributions to understanding processes controlling the polar ozone chemistry in Earth’s stratosphere and to characterizing tides and dust storms in Mars’ atmosphere. He has been leading investigations with diverse teams of investigators in the fields of Earth’s atmosphere, Mars’ atmosphere, exoplanetary atmospheres and exobiology. His results were published in over 80 articles in scientific journals. He has authored or co-authored three book chapters and has presented his research in invited talks to scientific audiences and the public.
Within PoSSUM he focuses on observations of noctilucent clouds and their interpretation as analogs to clouds on Mars. He is the lead instructor of the IIAS course AER 101: Atmospheric and Suborbital Space Environment. He has participated in airborne observations of noctilucent clouds as well as several airborne microgravity campaigns for space suit testing, where he served in the roles of test director, suited test subject, suit assistant and equipment technician. He has participated in tests of both IVA and EVA space suits.
Dr. Kleinböhl holds a Master in physics from the University of Frankfurt and a Ph.D. in atmospheric physics from the University of Bremen, Germany. He is an instrument-rated private pilot, a certified scientific diver, and a scientist- astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM.
Shawna Pandya, M.D., Instructor: EVA 102
Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver and pilot-in-training. She holds degrees in neuroscience, space, entrepreneurship and medicine, and is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine. In 2015, Dr. Pandya completed scientist-astronaut candidate training with Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) and was on the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity. She has flown over 140 parabolas in microgravity to date. Dr. Pandya is the lead instructor for Project PoSSUM’s EVA 102: Operational Space Medicine course. Through Project PoSSUM, she completed hypobaric hypoxia training, centrifuge studies, aerobatic flight, basic and advanced emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival training, and high altitude noctilucent cloud research. Dr. Pandya also completed a tour at the Mars Desert Research Station analog in Utah. In 2019, Dr. Pandya attained her aquanaut designation during a 5-day underwater mission at the Jules Underwater Lodge, completed the World Extreme Medicine Hyperbaric and Dive Medicine Course at Aquarius Reef Base, where NASA NEEMO missions take place, and was named a fellow of the Explorers’ Club. Her experiences were recently captured in the Land Rover short, released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film.
Aaron Persad, Ph.D., Instructor: BIO 103, OPS 103
Dr. Aaron Persad is a researcher in Space Sciences with 15 years of experience in the field. He leads various Space Science projects such as studies of the behavior of water in low-gravity environments, how to harvest water from the Moon to support long-duration human space missions, the performance of organic-based solar cells in the stratosphere, testing the next generation of space suits, and many others. His experiments and payloads have been performed in drop towers, stratospheric balloons, reduced gravity aircraft, and the International Space Station.
Dr. Persad is also a Postdoctoral Associate in the Mechanical Engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research in the MIT Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Research Lab investigates how to filter molecules of different shapes and masses across custom-made membranes that are only one atom thick. The filters may help improve water purification, and recycling of harsh solvents from industrial processes. His doctoral degree is in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) from the University of Toronto, where his work focused on applying quantum mechanics to explain evaporation processes and was ranked as the top in the department at the time of his graduation.
Dr. Persad is enthusiastic about teaching and was recognized as the top Teaching Assistant by the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2013. He is training to be an astronaut and was ranked amongst the top 60 candidates in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2017 Astronaut Recruitment Campaign.
Jason Reimuller, Ph.D. Instructor: AST 101, AER 103, OPS 102
[Biography listed above]
Scott Ritter, Instructor: EDU 101
Scott Ritter is an engineer and scientist at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany. He is a co- principal investigator for ongoing human health monitoring studies during spaceflight, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Astronaut Centre (EAC). Prior to this, Scott worked for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna Austria, and for the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Within IIAS, Scott instructs the EDU 101 Citizen Science Research Education course and directs IIAS/PoSSUM strategic development initiatives. Scott is a graduate of the IIAS Scientist Astronaut Class 1701 and has completed IIAS graduate bioastronautics courses in spaceflight physiology, spacecraft egress and rescue operations, and spacesuit post- landing operations. Scott holds master’s degrees from the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg France, and from Stanford University in California. He is a licensed professional engineer, a certified scuba diver, and an International Space Safety Foundation fellow.
Jeremy Saget, MD, MS, EMBA, Instructor: EVA 102
Dr Jeremy Saget, MD, MS, EMBA is an Aerospace Physician, a Parabolic Flight Surgeon for the European Space Agencies microgravity Science research campaigns, and a ZeroG Instructor (Novespace). Experience in UN medical support as an Aeromedical Evacuations Team Flight Surgeon, North Mali, Africa. Committed to leprosy detection in Comores, Indian Ocean. Crew commander for Mars Analog missions. Master’s degree in cognitive Science research from the Polytechnic Institute of Bordeaux, specialized in human factors. ATPL theoretical knowledge Instructor (Human Performance and Limitations, EASA, ATO). European Society of Aerospace Medicine, Circle of Experts member. Democratization of Space advocate and keynote speaker. Currently working and writing about psychological aspects of ICE missions (Isolated Confined missions in an Extreme environment) and remote medicine challenges.
Erik Seedhouse, Ph.D., Instructor: BIO 101, EVA 101
Dr. Erik Seedhouse is an aerospace/life sciences scientist and Assistant Professor in the Applied Aviation Sciences Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he teaches life support systems in the Space Studies Program. Erik earned a Master’s degree in Medical Science at Sheffield University and then completed his Ph.D. at the German Space Agency’s Institute for Space Medicine. In 1999, he started his post-doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University. While living in Vancouver, Erik gained his pilot’s license, started climbing mountains and took up sky- diving to relax in his spare time. In 2005 he worked as an astronaut training consultant for Bigelow Aerospace in Las Vegas and wrote ‘Tourists in Space’, a training manual – of sorts – for spaceflight participants. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and a member of the Aerospace Medical Association. In 2009 he was one of the final thirty candidates of the Canadian Space Agency’s Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. Erik currently works as manned spaceflight consultant and author (he has written 12 books).
Kenneth Trujillo, Instructor: BIO 104, OPS 101, EVA 104
Kenneth Trujillo is a Systems Engineer and Program Manager with over 25 years’ of experience in management of complex NASA, DoD, and commercial engineering projects. Mr. Trujillo’s NASA experience includes Space Shuttle and International Space Station astronaut training, mission design, and flight control. Mr. Trujillo’s major focus at NASA was with the training and operation of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) used during Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and with the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES) full pressure suit used during Shuttle ascent and re-entry. Mr. Trujillo developed pressure suit-related NASA astronaut training curriculum and procedures at Johnson Space Center, conducted Space Shuttle Extravehicular Activity (EVA) system and operations instruction consisting of classroom, vacuum chamber, neutral- buoyancy, and simulated micro-g training, and conducted ACES pressure suit training. Mr. Trujillo supported over 70 Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions from JSC Mission Control Center. Among other projects, Mr. Trujillo was also assigned as project engineer for system development, test, and certification of NASA’s X-38 lifting body.
After leaving NASA Mr. Trujillo worked as a Flight Test Engineer on the F-35 program at Edwards AFB, CA. As an aircraft lead Mr. Trujillo conducted over 100 sorties as Test Conductor/Test Director for mission system and flight science missions on all three F-35 aircraft variants. Mr. Trujillo developed the F-35 flight controller training curriculum to qualify FTE and IPT personnel to support F-35 flight test missions and provided vehicle systems classroom training, and control room training using high-fidelity, human-in-the-loop simulators leading to control room qualification for test operators. Mr. Trujillo is currently a senior test engineer on the A-29 program.