Grants and Contributions

This project entitled « Reduced gravity flights to examine ExoMars rover wheel-soil interactions » aims at studying the effects of gravity on planetary rover driving performance. The entrapment of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in soft soil and the tears and punctures in the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover's wheels demonstrate some of the current challenges of roving on Mars.
The project will advance knowledge of how reduced gravity affects wheel-soil interactions for rovers. The terramechanics dataset includes visually capturing soil flow processes below the wheel, contributing to knowledge of regolith geophysical processes in reduced gravity. Better understanding of rover-terrain interactions will have a broad and long-term impact in the field of terramechanics by addressing known problems of using classical approaches in a planetary context. Such advances will also have a broad, long-term impact beyond their field by increasing rover safety and performance, which translates to higher scientific return for future space missions.

This project entitled « MAGnetometer Integrating Controlled Attitude with Low-noise Science (MAGICALS) » the MAGnetometer Integrating Controlled Attitude with Low-noise Science (MAGICALS) team will design, develop, test and validate an innovative integrated attitude actuation and scientific magnetic monitoring subsystem, for cube and nanosatellite applications. Miniaturizing subsystems is critical to the future utilisation of space for Canadian benefit. MAGICALS will address challenges of accurate maneuvering, essential for Earth observation and other applications. It will open the door to constellation class nanosatellite missions by enabling low noise magnetic measurements by cube satellites.

This project entitled «Next Generation Large Aperture Interferometer for GOSAT and CrIS» through various projects over the years, Canada has positioned itself favourably as a provider of optical solution for space-based Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTS) applications. Space FTS technology is considered to be a Canadian signature technology. The proposed project is titled: “Next Generation Large Aperture Interferometer for GOSAT and CrIS“. The goal is to offer a subsystem that enables improved signal to noise ratio with no degradation of spectral resolution in a smaller and more cost effective package than would otherwise be achieved with more traditional approaches. The proposed interferometer will be designed, breadboarded and tested in representative environmental conditions.

This project entitled « HiCIBaS - High-Contrast Imaging Balloon System » aims to develop and test a promising new type of Low-Order Wave Front Sensor (LOWFS) to study and characterize its performance at 40 km and the typical PSF instabilities and anomalies encountered in near space in the visible. The stratospheric balloon is a perfect platform to test advanced technologies on a space-like environment before their use for space applications. This test bed will allow further expansion into a more complete high contrast imaging observatory to be flown for dedicated exoplanet candidate observations.
This project aims to increase our knowledge bydeveloping and testing a generic precision pointing telescope system that can be used in future missions requiring sub-milli-arcsecond level pointing (e.g. high contrast imaging missions).

This project entitled « Energetic Particle Explorer (EPEx) » consists of three balloon flights to be launched in summer 2017, each flight will carry two made in Canada instruments. The instruments will examine the impact of high-energy particles raining down on Earth's atmosphere. These particles are episodically released from Earth's Van Allen radiation belts and strike the atmosphere over Canada and other Northern countries. This information will increase our understanding of high-energy particle precipitation and its effect on our environment.

This project entitled « Sounding Rocket Flight to Explore Percolating Reactive Waves » will utilize a European sounding rocket (MAXUS 9) to examine reactive waves propagating through suspension of particles. The project aims to transfer expertise developed at McGill University in flame propagation in a suspensions to a space-rated flight experiment, including the development of novel techniques and diagnostics for creating and characterizing particulate suspensions in microgravity. Upon successful completion of the flight in 2016, the experimental data generated will be analyzed and modeled
The project will utilize the PerWaves experiment that will fly on MAXUS 9 to demonstrate unambiguously, for the first time, the existence of a reactive wave propagation regime that is controlled by the discreteness of the reactive media. It is anticipated that the new technology that is developed to address these challenges will find wider application because the creation of well-characterized dust suspensions and diagnostic tools to quantify concentration and uniformity of dust in terrestrial and space-based environments is a general problem that the new capabilities deriving from this project will be able to address.

This project entitled «Astrobiology Training in Lava Tubes (ATILT)» will provide realistic science training in lava tube caves that are high fidelity analogs of Mars lava tubes. In the project, instruments will be used to remotely locate and characterize lava tube caves, to identify and characterize secondary minerals and ice inside the caves, and to identify cold-adapted microbial communities and microbial biosignatures. This project is critical to developing a mission to explore Martian lava tubes.
The study of basaltic caves and lava tubes on Earth informs us about the diversity and resilience of microbial life and how traces of such life are recorded in mineral deposits that could have formed on Mars. By analogy, basaltic caves on Mars may contain a record of secondary mineralization providing precious information on past aqueous activity. Such caves may also provide the best evidence for past life in the form of biomarkers (chemical, isotopic or morphogenic) preserved in the cave minerals. Where they exist, lava cave may be a key target for possible life on all rocky solar system objects.

This Grant was awarded to the university following an AO posted on the 29th of April 2015 to allow Canadian researchers to be active in NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission as Participating Scientist.

This Grant was awarded to the university following an AO posted on the 29th of April 2015 to allow Canadian researchers to be active in NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission as Participating Scientist.

This Grant was awarded to the university following an AO posted on the 29th of April 2015 to allow Canadian researchers to be active in NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission as Participating Scientist.