Grants and Contributions

The European Earth Watch Programme is an optional program of the European Space Agency. The contribution has been awarded for the Arctic Weather Satellite Element of the Programme, which is aimed at the development of a prototype satellite for future constellation of weather satellites to monitor the polar regions, providing long-term datasets to improve weather forecasting, and contributing toward long-term datasets to study climate change in these vulnerable locations.

The Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Programme is an optional program of the European Space Agency. The ARTES Program activities are aimed at supporting the research and development efforts of the European and Canadian industry in the area of satellite communications.

The European Earth Watch Programme is an optional program of the European Space Agency. The contribution has been awarded for the ALTIUS Element of the Programme, which is aimed at the development of a limb sounder mission for the monitoring of the 3D distribution and evolution of the stratospheric ozone.

Canada’s annual assessed contribution to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Basic Activities for the calendar year 2020.

OCULAR RIGIDITY AS A NOVEL RISK FACTOR FOR SPACE FLIGHT-ASSOCIATED NEURO-OCULAR SYNDROME
Visual impairment as a consequence of long-duration space travel is a serious challenge to human exploration. Our limited understanding of how Space Flight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome initiates during spaceflight points to fluid shifts associated with entering a microgravity environment. These changes yield ocular structural and functional alterations in a significant fraction of astronauts, not always resolved after Earth landing.
We surmise that ocular rigidity, determined by the shape and elasticity of the outer layers of the eye, plays a major role in the development of the disease, and is a risk factor that can be screened in a non-invasive fashion.""

The effect of long-duration space flight on bone microarchitecture and strength using three-dimensional high resolution imaging.
Our bones continually adapt to support our body weight in a gravity environment. Bones become weaker when everyday stresses are reduced. Astronauts lose bone strenght rapidly while in space due to weightlessness and reduced exercise. The purpose of this study is to understand the time-course of bone strength loss in space. We will use high resolution bone imaging to investigate how long it takes for bone loss to stabilize in space and whether stabilization differs between first-time and repeat flier astronauts. Results will help understand how to ensure astronauts remain healthier on longer-duration missions and the risks of very long spaceflights in the future.

Student’s participation in the conference “International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2019)”, world premier global space event of the International Astronautical Federation's (IAF), in the activities organized by the 'International Space Education Board' (ISEB), and in the Space Generation Congress (SGC 2019) held in Washington D.C., É.-U. For students, it is an opportunity to learn more about the future of the great space adventure, to develop their international network and to present their research at the highest professional level.

Student’s participation in the conference “International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2019)”, world premier global space event of the International Astronautical Federation's (IAF), and in the activities organized by the 'International Space Education Board' (ISEB) held in Washington D.C., É.-U. For students, it is an opportunity to learn more about the future of the great space adventure, to develop their international network and to present their research at the highest professional level.

Organized by SEDS Canada, the Canadian Stratospheric Balloon Experiment Design Challenge (CAN-SBX) is a national competition for Canadian post-secondary students to design and test a small scientific experiment to fly on board a high-altitude balloon provided by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Two winning teams were selected by SEDS Canada to attend the 2019 CAN-SBX launch campaign in Timmins, Ontario in August 2019 and to test their experiments. Students who participated in this event were given a unique opportunity to work alongside scientists and engineers from Canada and Europe while gaining valuable hands-on experience with launch operations, technology testing and data analysis. This grant provided financial support to the university in order to enable the participation of four students from the team in the launch campaign.

Organized by SEDS Canada, the Canadian Stratospheric Balloon Experiment Design Challenge (CAN-SBX) is a national competition for Canadian post-secondary students to design and test a small scientific experiment to fly on board a high-altitude balloon provided by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Two winning teams were selected by SEDS Canada to attend the 2019 CAN-SBX launch campaign in Timmins, Ontario in August 2019 and to test their experiments. Students who participated in this event were given a unique opportunity to work alongside scientists and engineers from Canada and Europe while gaining valuable hands-on experience with launch operations, technology testing and data analysis. This grant provided financial support to the university in order to enable the participation of one student from the team in the launch campaign.