The Aeronomy Research Program of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences
PoSSUM graduates conduct high-resolution imagery and tomographic reconstruction of noctilucent cloud structures coupled with temperature and aerosol profiles from research aircraft, high-altitude balloon campaigns, and soon commercial spacecraft!
Why be a “Spaceflight Participant”?
We are the only program that prepares students to become citizen-scientist astronauts
Immersive Astronautics Education: Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders in Astronautical Science
We conduct today’s astronautics research enabling tomorrow’s space missions
All PoSSUM courses are administered by the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences, the WORLD’s FIRST Institutional Sponsor of a Commercial Human-Tended Research Spaceflight!
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All Interested PoSSUM Members must apply to AST 101: Fundamentals of Astronautics. Candidates age 17+ are considered for the Advanced POSSUM Academy. STEM Professionals with a BS Degree (or equivalent) are considered for PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut candidacy.
The IIAS offers an ‘Applied Astronautics’ certification as well as four professional credentials: aeronomy, bioastronautics (including both IVA and EVA space suit evaluation), space flight operations, and flight test engineering.
REAL NASA-Supported Research, NOT Space Tourism
- PoSSUM students learn to fly the suborbital PoSSUM ‘Noctilucent Cloud Imagery and Tomography Experiment‘, selected for flight in 2012 by NASA.
- PoSSUM Balloon Imagery Experiments are conducted together with the University of Alaska and validated with NASA-funded ‘PMC-Turbo’ experiment data.
- Space Suits are supported through a NASA Space Act agreement and evaluated with the Canadian Space Agency and the Canadian National Research Laboratory.
Sponsors and Partner Organizations
All incoming candidates are trained at Florida Tech through AST 101 to receive skills required for all PoSSUM citizen-science research programs.
EVA space suit evaluations are conducted using the PoSSUM gravity-offset laboratory at the Canadian Space Agency.
PoSSUM microgravity research and IVA space suit evaluations are conducted in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada
Post-landing egress evaluations are conducted using the PoSSUM post-landing laboratory at Survival Systems USA.
We are a 501(c)(3) research and education non-profit. Sponsorships and donations are fully tax deductible.