Tag: Project PoSSUM

Space Foundation Partners with Project PoSSUM

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Project_PoSSUMCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 15, 2016) — The Space Foundation is partnering with Project PoSSUM to offer the PoSSUM Academy upper-atmospheric and astronautics education program in 2017. The program, designed by upper atmospheric scientists and former NASA astronaut instructors, is an immersive education program for high-school and undergraduate students. PoSSUM Academy students learn about upper-atmospheric science and astronautics as they prepare for simulated suborbital missions to study elusive ‘space clouds’ called noctilucent clouds.

PoSSUM, an acronym for Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere, grew from a suborbital flight opportunity granted by NASA in 2012 in which a commercial suborbital spacecraft, such as Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two, will be used to fly through a noctilucent cloud with a package of instruments that can create a tomographic image of these cloud features, much like an MRI builds a 3D model of a human body.

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Project PoSSUM Graduates 13 Scientist-Astronaut Candidates

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Project PoSSUM graduates (Credit: ERAU)
Project PoSSUM graduates (Credit: ERAU)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (ERAU PR) — Project PoSSUM, a non-profit research program devoted to the study of Earth’s upper atmosphere, announced that it has graduated 13 new Scientist-Astronaut Candidates as part of PoSSUM Class 1601.

The PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut program, designed by former NASA astronaut instructors and hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., gives its candidates the skills to effectively conduct research on commercial space vehicles as part of an international research campaign dedicated to the study of our global climate.

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FFD Completes Round of Spacesuit Testing with Project PoSSUM

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Infrared cam shot of PoSSUM Academy participants Michael Long and Abdelraouf Elwaqad testing FFD space suits in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s suborbital spaceflight simulator. (Credit: Nicholas Mercury Carlstrom)
Infrared cam shot of PoSSUM Academy participants Michael Long and Abdelraouf Elwaqad testing FFD space suits in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s suborbital spaceflight simulator. (Credit: Nicholas Mercury Carlstrom)

BROOKLYN, NY, May 3, 2016 (FFD PR) – Last month, Final Frontier Design (FFD) completed another round of space suit testing in Daytona, Florida as part of Project PoSSUM, in conjunction with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU).

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Citizen-Science Astronautics Program to Explore Intersections of Art and Science

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PoSSUM students learn to operate space-qualified instrumentation in spacesuits. (Credit: Project PoSSUM)
PoSSUM students learn to operate space-qualified instrumentation in spacesuits. (Credit: Project PoSSUM)

BOULDER, Colo. , March 14, 2016  (Project PoSSUM PR) — Project PoSSUM announced today that it will host an interdisciplinary forum, titled “Project PoSSUM and the Art of Science Communication”, at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 9, 2016. The first of a series of workshops, this forum will focus on how astronautics enables science communication through human stories and artistic interpretation.
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Integrated Spaceflight Services Completes First Commercial Spacesuit Zero G Test

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Evaluation of spacesuit in zero gravity.
Evaluation of spacesuit in zero gravity. (Credit: ISS)

OTTAWA, Ont., October 29, 2015 (ISS PR) — Integrated Spaceflight Services LLC (‘ISS’) of Boulder, Colo. announced today that it has completed the first zero g evaluation of a commercial spacesuit. The 3G IVA spacesuit, manufactured by Final Frontier Design (‘FFD’) of Brooklyn, N.Y., was tested through four zero g flights on a specially-modified Falcon 20 research aircraft..

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A4H Members Complete PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Training

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PoSSUM graduates (Credit: A4H)
PoSSUM graduates (Credit: A4H)

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (A4H PR) – Astronauts for Hire (A4H) would like to congratulate six of its members for completing the inaugural PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Qualification Program that was held from February 7-10, 2015 at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Project PoSSUM announced today that all graduation requirements for these candidates have been met.

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Project PoSSUM Graduates First Class of Scientist-Astronauts

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Project_PoSSUMDAYTONA BEACH, Fla., February 23, 2015 (Project PoSSUM PR) — Project PoSSUM, a non-profit suborbital research project devoted to the study of our upper atmosphere, announced today that it had graduated its first class of Scientist-Astronauts. The PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Qualification Program, designed by former NASA astronaut instructors and hosted by the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides its candidates with the skills required to effectively conduct research on commercial space vehicles as part of an international research campaign dedicated to the study of global climate.

PoSSUM, an acronym for Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere, uses commercial suborbital spacecraft and high-altitude manned balloons to study rare “space clouds” called noctilucent clouds. These elusive clouds can help scientists address critical questions about the Earth’s climate, but they can only be seen from polar latitudes during a small window of time in the summer. The project evolved from the Noctilucent Cloud Imagery and Tomography experiment, selected by NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program in March 2012 as experiment 46-S.

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Project PoSSUM to Hold Scientist-Astronaut Class at Embry Riddle

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Project_PoSSUMBoulder, Colo., December 29, 2014 (Project PoSSUM PR) — Project PoSSUM, a non-profit suborbital research program, announces the first PoSSUM scientist-astronaut class to be held at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 7 – 10, 2015. This unique opportunity allows individuals to train with some of the world’s leading upper atmospheric scientists and to fly to space as part of an international research campaign dedicated to the study of global climate. The four-day, fully immersive qualification program was designed by former NASA astronaut instructors to provide its candidates with the skills required to effectively conduct research on commercial space vehicles as part of Project PoSSUM.

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