Human Factors for NASA's Space Exploration Vision the View from Inside

Abstract

People are the critical element in human space exploration. Future missions will be designed to optimize uniquely human capabilities: creativity, ingenuity, intuition, learning, problem-solving, flexibility and determination. Human factors' role is to extend human capability with hardware and software; to create environments that maintain mental, emotional and physical fitness; to select and train crews capable of thriving in risky, long-duration missions; and to increase astronaut safety and reduce mission risk. This symposium will explore the research and technology development in NASA's Human-System Integration program. First, we will describe the missions that lead up the manned exploration of Mars. Detailed technical descriptions of NASA's current research and gaps will address physical, cognitive, and behavioral health and performance issues. Finally, we will describe the reinvention of NASA-STD-3000, Human-System Integration Standards, the medium by which research results are imposed on the design and construction of spacecraft, software, and operations concepts.