Grants and Contributions

Astronauts need to know where they are relative to their spacecraft as they move about in microgravity. The Principal Investigator (PI) team’s previous experiments demonstrated that astronauts adapt quickly to the novel perceptual environment of the International Space Station (ISS) and can reliably estimate how far they have moved in a straight-line using vision alone. However, other experiments have demonstrated that the perception of self-rotation in microgravity may be disrupted. The PI team’s proposed experiment assesses how effectively an astronaut can keep track of their starting position (their “home-base”) after experiencing a combination of linear and rotational visual information indicating motion along a three-dimensional path typical of that experienced in the ISS. Motion will be experienced passively and participants will judge the distance travelled and the direction of home-base following the motion. Keeping track of one’s home-base is a critically important skill for emergency egress or efficient travel. Understanding errors made will suggest compensatory strategies.

This study aims to promote performance, health, and well-being among astronauts aboard the ISS. To this end, the Principal Investigator (PI) team will explore the complex interplay of stress, coping strategies, meaningful work, and self-transcending emotions (e.g., gratitude, compassion, awe). By employing both pre- and post-mission questionnaires and a novel adaptation of a "daily diary" method, the PI team aims to collect prospective, concurrent, and retrospective data over the course of a long-term mission.
When considering what predicts performance, health, and well-being, the PI team focuses on two related, but distinct processes.
- The first involves successfully navigating negative experiences. Specifically, the PI team will explore how astronauts aboard the ISS cope with daily stressors.
- The second involves successfully capitalizing on positive experiences. Specifically, the PI team will explore how astronauts aboard the ISS experience self-transcendent emotions, build meaning, and grow from their daily work.

Scalium™ is an innovative, ultra-resistant aluminum-scandium alloy, originally developed by Ferreol Technologies for the alpine skiing industry. With exceptional mechanical properties, Scalium™ currently outperforms typical aluminum alloys used across various industrial sectors. Initially produced in thin sheets, the alloy has now attracted major interest in the aerospace sector, where it could significantly reduce the weight of spacecraft components. This weight reduction would in turn lower operational costs, decrease the carbon footprint of space launches, and increase the capacity to integrate additional high-value equipment.

The present project aims to adapt Scalium™ into thick plates suited to aerospace industrial requirements. Following successful preliminary laboratory tests, the goal is to develop the large-scale manufacturing process, characterize its performance, and demonstrate its feasibility to specialized companies. One concrete application would target the next generation of Canadian satellites.

With the announcement by the Canadian Government in 2023 that it is moving forward to enable space launches from Canadian soil, Canada is poised to expand its capabilities into launch and large-scale rocket propulsion. Enabling this will require expertise in the most complex, challenging aspect of rocket propulsion: the turbopump. The “heart” of any high performance rocket engine, these powerful pumps represent a capability that has never before been demonstrated in Canada. With a network of partners and industry professionals, a team of experienced volunteers, and supplemented by top students from across Canada, this project will demonstrate the first turbopump in Canada, sized for Launch Canada’s proven 1000 lb thrust rocket engine. Leveraging advanced manufacturing methods and cutting-edge software tools, it will also be the smallest turbopump in the world, extending the performance benefits of turbopumps to new applications such as lunar transport or space tugs, while training highly qualified personnel throughout the supply chain.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The Principal Investigator (PI) team has discovered that the eyes of astronauts become softer during spaceflight, and this change in the mechanical properties of the eye may be at the root of a disease that afflicts astronauts. SANS is a condition that hampers vision and affects individuals exposed to microgravity with a pathophysiology that is not yet understood.
This project seeks to:
1) Analyze pulsatile tissue deformation in the optic nerve head (ONH) to determine whether tissue strain is correlated with subsequent edema.
2) Study whether the choroidal response to Valsalva maneuvers can be used as SANS risk factors, and whether Valsalvas play a pathophysiological role.
3) Analyze long-term ocular rigidity (OR) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) normalization, as individuals who suffered SANS are more likely to relapse during new missions.
4) Extend the existing SANSORI cohort to determine if OR alone can be used as a predictive biomarker of SANS severity.

Space exploration radiation risks remain a major challenge for long-duration missions. In collaboration with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the research team will develop a space radiation protocol simulating heavily shielded environment of Lunar habitats predicted to exhibit high levels of neutron radiation. They propose to use quail (Coturnix coturnix) as a novel non-human research model and to assess the effects of gamma and neutron radiation on skeletal, calcium homeostasis and cardiovascular systems. Similar to humans and rodents, spaceflight experiments with quail eggs showed altered calcium homeostasis and bone loss, demonstrating that quail egg is a valid research model to study fundamental biological questions relevant to spaceflight risks to humans. Moreover, quail meat and eggs have nutritional value and are potentially useful as sustainable food supply for Lunar bases. These studies will pave the way for assessing countermeasures necessary to eliminate the identified risks of the chronic exposure to radiation relevant to Lunar exploration.

Astronauts return from space with anemia. The mechanisms causing anemia are not known. During long space missions to the Moon or Mars, astronaut must stay safe from severe anemia. The SPleen Activity in SPace Anemia (SPA2) aims to address outstanding questions on the mechanism of space anemia. SPA2 will test two (2) key hypotheses:
1) The spleen is altered by prolonged exposure to space; and
2) Space anemia is caused by extravascular hemolysis in the spleen.
SPA2 will measure changes in spleen size, shape, and structure using magnetic resonance and ultrasonography. Then, SPA2 will measure hemolysis and hemolysis markers using comprehensive clinical and laboratory techniques.

The satellite market has recently shifted towards Low Earth Orbit constellations. These missions require feeder link antennas that offer a wide scan angle and are typically supported by reflector antennas. A shift towards phased array for feeder links is starting to emerge as this technology presents great advantages in terms of number of beams, speed of reconfigurability and interference mitigation capacities. The purpose of this project is to develop a feeder link Ka-Band phased array antenna with interference mitigation capabilities. This requires developing antenna architecture and concepts that integrate on-orbit calibration and develop interference mitigation algorithms. The expected outcome will be an antenna breadboard model to support the testing of calibration and interference mitigations algorithms. LEO constellations supported by these novel feed link antennas will ultimately provide broadband access to remote areas where it is not economically viable to develop traditional broadband services, helping to close the digital divide.