Grants and Contributions

This project will be using new images from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on the Astrosat satellite mission to study the ultraviolet (UV) light from high mass stars in a nearby galaxy. Theories predict that this high-energy UV light is thought to heat the surrounding gas in the galaxy, but, until now, the combination of high-resolution UV maps (from Astrosat) and sensitive maps of the gas that can trace gas temperature (from a ground-based radio telescope) were not abailable simultaneously. The project will measure whether there is a signature of gas heating from high mass stars. This measurement is important for understanding how galaxies evolve: the current theory of galaxy evolution proposes that the radiation of high mass stars reduces the efficiency of star formation in a galaxy’s gas. This work will test whether the heating from the stars seen in the Astrosat data is sufficient to change gas conditions and potentially star formation efficiency.

The team will measure the hot stars in M31 to learn about the formation and structure of that galaxy.

This project will collect measurements of the trace gases, aerosol particles and clouds present in the atmosphere over Eureka, Nunavut (80N, 86W) in 2025-2027 using instruments based at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL). The campaign period will primarily focus on spring deployments each year. The measurements collected over these campaigns will be used to verify and assess the accuracy of two Canadian satellite missions that are monitoring Earth's atmosphere: the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) on SCISAT and the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS) instrument on Odin.

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 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.

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.

Observations of cloud shapes and motions can constrain different processes that contribute to the weather on Mars, many of which also operate on the Earth. Observing the motions and variations in the quantity of dust in the atmosphere with height and location within Gale can provide a better understanding atmospheric mixing close to the surface driven by solar heating. These particles affect the amount of ultraviolet radiation within the crater, therefore, studying UV at Gale provides more detail on the seasonal cycle and the nature of Martian dust and cloud at the scale of individual particles. Lastly, this improved understanding of weather may help explain observed variations in the amount of methane and whether the source of that methane is small and local, or is carried into the crater from a larger, distant source.

Sedimentary rocks exposed at the Martian surface offer an information-rich record of the planet's past environmental conditions and biological habitability. Curiosity's expected exploration of unique sedimentological units in Mount Sharp offer exciting opportunities for exploring the interplay between climate, water, and biological habitability at the critical time in Mars' past when water-rich conditions existed and hence could have originated life. This proposal seeks to leverage our team's expertise in quantifying and modeling these geochemical and hydrological processes and Curiosity's prowess as a roving field geologist and mobile laboratory to develop a framework for interpreting past Martian climate and habitability.

This project aims to develop a web-based GIS software prototype that will provide remote sensing based algal bloom detection, algae concentration, and water quality assessments and monitoring. This technology will benefit Canadians by enabling healthier ecosystems that provide clean air, water, and local climate regulation.