Human Factors & Performance

Introduction

Human factors and performance are critical to human spaceflight as they ensure the design and operation of systems take into consideration human capabilities, limitations, and behavior, ultimately enhancing crew performance, safety, and mission success. Johnson Space Center’s (JSC’s) human factors and performance experts provide evaluation, testing and analysis for design of human system interactions including displays and controls, workstations, and vehicle and habitat environments. We seek insights into how to structure successful teams for space missions, as well as how to design missions so that human factors considerations are optimized. With our decades-long experience in human spaceflight, we ensure that humans can efficiently navigate through mission-critical tasks as well as mundane tasks associated with daily life in space. Experts deliver strategies to protect crew health and performance in spacecraft design, training, human-robotics interactions, space radiation, health countermeasures and psychological and team readiness. We also research the behavioral health effects of long duration spaceflight, including those related to isolation, confinement, sleep loss, work overload, deep space radiation and weightlessness. As the hub of human spaceflight, and home of NASA’s astronaut corps, human factors and performance stretches across all of JSC’s exploration science and mission operations. Our focus is on the unique perspective that the human brings to exploration. Partner with us to harness the expertise of our human factors and performance capabilities, ensuring optimized and safe human interactions in the dynamic realm of space exploration.

Capabilities

Human Factors Engineering Lab 

Overview | The JSC Human Factors Engineering Lab (HFEL) provides evaluation, testing, and analysis for the design of human system interactions including displays and controls, workstations, and vehicle/ habitat environments. HFEL personnel have diverse backgrounds and experience in human factors engineering, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, physiology, and industrial engineering. Using structured methodologies and specialized tools and equipment, human factors Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) facilitate human-centered design processes in the design of hardware and software by supporting integration of humans with complex technical systems. 

Details |

Experimental Design 

• Task analysis 
• Human-in-the-loop evaluations
• Human performance measures (workload, situation analysis, usability) 
• Human factors engineering design assessments (habitat volume and layout architecture, anthropometry and biomechanics) 
• Statistical analysis 

Facilities and Equipment 

• User testing and control rooms 
• Video recording, editing, and analysis equipment 
• Eye tracking 
• Virtual reality and augmented reality systems 
• Specialized statistical analysis software
• Remote site testing capabilities 

Center for Design and Space Architecture 

Overview | The Center for Design and Space Architecture (CDSA) is NASA’s conceptual, human centered design studio. They leverage skill in architecture and industrial design to provide customers with functional, intuitive solutions that synchronize with the integrated system. 

Details | The CDSA employs an iterative design process and utilizes a variety of digital and physical mediums, including Computer-aided drafting (CAD), virtual reality, and full-scale mockups, to quickly progress design maturity for human spaceflight systems. 

• Space Architecture: interior architecture, mission architecture, functional allocation, volumetric analysis
• Design: concept development, CAD modeling, mass and volume estimation, rendering, mockup, and prototype design 
• Virtual Reality: design review and evaluation, task simulation, crewed human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing 
• Prototyping: 3d printing, CNC, foam core, polycarbonates, wood, metal
• Mockups: part-task, full-scale, test articles, functional prototypes 

Operational Environment Lighting 

Overview | The Operational Environment Lighting Analysis team provides internal and external lighting requirements verification for the International Space Station (ISS), ISS commercial cargo and crewed vehicles, and Orion. The team also provides lamp and system lighting design, modeling, and test and measurement of lighting and camera systems in their unique lighting lab. 

Details | The Lighting Lab uses a controlled lighting facility with test equipment for measurement of spectral, radiometric, and photometric light properties. The Lighting Lab is a spacious facility with dimensions of 25’ W x 300’ L x 17’ H, including a dedicated dark room for controlled lighting & imaging tests. 

Testing & Analysis Services Available 

• Interior / exterior lamp and system lighting design 
• Lighting requirements development and verification 
• Simulate orbital and planetary surface lighting environments 
• Human anthropometric modeling analysis (volume, reach and clearance) 
• Glare and shadow analysis
• Camera system testing with calibrated lights and solar simulator 

Software Modeling Tools 

• Radiance: Radiometric and photometric architectural lighting simulation of interior / exterior spacecraft 
• Zemax: Spectral optics & lamp development using anthropometric modeling & simulation
• Jack: Anthropometric human modeling and simulation 
• Creo Parametric & Rhino: Processing of CAD models & model manipulation 
• Dojo: Software organizer and database of models, materials and lights for modeling purposes 

Acoustics Environment Analysis (ANCL) 

Overview | The Johnson Space Center (JSC) Acoustics and Noise Control Laboratory (ANCL) ensures Safe, Healthy and Habitable Vehicle Acoustic Environments. The Acoustic Office is responsible for ensuring safe, healthy, and habitable vehicle acoustic environments, in which astronaut crews can live, communicate, and work. 

Details |

• Acoustic Emissions Testing
• Acoustic Flight Materials Development and Testing 
• Noise Diagnostics and Control 
• Acoustic Modeling 
• Reverberation Time Measurement
• Acoustic Environment Demonstrations 
• On-orbit Measurement and Monitoring 
• Quiet Fan Tool Development and Support 
• Transmission Loss Measurement 
• Acoustic Absorption Measurement
• Space Suit Interior Acoustic Environment Assessments 

Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility 

Overview | The Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility (ABF) is uniquely equipped to conduct a variety of biomechanics and ergonomics research studies that investigate issues humans will encounter while living, working, and exploring in space. ABF personnel provides anthropometry and biomechanical analysis and evaluation expertise to multiple groups across the NASA community, including the Extravehicular Activity Projects Office, the Commercial Crew Program, and other internal and external organizations. 

Details |

• Providing 3D whole body volumetric analysis and human modeling
• Performing work volume and reach assessments, load analysis
• Evaluating unsuited and suited locomotion in reduced gravity environments 
• Performing space suit modeling 
• Performing Extravehicular Activities and Intravehicular Activities evaluations 
• Developing Biomechanical analyses using motion capture and force platforms in the lab, in suits, and other facilities (i.e., JSC’s ARGOS, NBL, etc.) 
• Providing Task analysis 

Space Suits and Exploration Operations Laboratory 

Overview | The Space Suits and Exploration Operations (SSEO) Laboratory technical area focuses on tasks needed to support optimal Human Health and Performance for extravehicular activities (EVA). SSEO provides operational support for International Space Station (ISS) EVA through support of EVA training activities including suited Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) runs and EVA preparation classes that review and train pre-breathe procedures. Further support is provided through the participation in various interdisciplinary teams to review updates to flight rules, pre-breathe, and EVA procedures. This technical area also leads research efforts connected to EVA operations and the mitigation of decompression sickness before these EVA operations. 

Details | Tasks range from highly coordinated interdisciplinary suited research studies using EVA analogs, such as the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) and NBL, to the development of an EVA-simulation environment that uses hybrid reality and high-fidelity informatics to represent the physical and cognitive workload associated with EVA. 

• Develop, validate and conduct pre-breathe protocols for space suits 
• Conduct pre-breathe protocol training
• Perform Thermal chamber testing 
• Assess of metabolic cost of EVA during NBL training 
• Perform suit and life support system hardware development and testing (xEMU) in various suited environments (i.e., chambers, ARGOS, NBL, etc.) 
• Perform suited gait assessments and task analysis 

Exercise Physiology Countermeasures Laboratory 

Overview | The Exercise Physiology Countermeasures Laboratory possesses the expertise and facilities to support clinical fitness-related crew medical testing for spaceflight. Additionally, it can evaluate and validate exercise countermeasure hardware and software, develop protocols, and design conditioning programs aimed at maintaining human health and performance. The laboratory also offers expertise for conducting biomechanical assessments of crew members during exercise. Furthermore, it utilizes modeling tools to enhance exercise countermeasures. 

Details |

• Evaluate and validate exercise countermeasures hardware and monitoring tools, exercise prescriptions, protocols, and conditioning programs
• Perform musculoskeletal measures of volume and performance (isometric, isokinetic and isotonic) 
• Perform aerobic and anerobic fitness measures using various modalities (i.e., cycle, treadmill, rower, etc.) for assessing submax and max performance 
• Assessing performance using metabolas gas measures during a variety of activities (VO2max and VO2peak)
• Evaluation of exercise hardware systems and prescription recommendations for various modalities for use in space 
• Task Analysis and Human in the Loop Testing 
• Assessing operational performance in the field 
• Biomechanical analyses using motion capture and force platforms; gait assessment 
• Develop exercise countermeasure systems and prescriptions tailored for each DRM, vehicle and duration 

Astronauts/Crew Perspective 

Overview | Astronauts provide a unique and vitally important perspective on spacecraft design, operations, and safety. NASA JSC Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) selects, protects, and provides flight crews for NASA human space flight missions. With hundreds of astronauts selected since the inaugural class in 1959, NASA’s Astronaut Corps has unparalleled experience in human spaceflight activities. Astronauts support NASA human space flight programs that require crew input and expertise. 

Details |

• Evaluating, testing, and development of new vehicle designs, hardware, and operations
• Providing valuable operations experience to help ensure crew safety 
• Advocating from the unique perspective of the end user and highlighting items that may impact mission safety and success 

Technology Development for Human Health and Performance (Wearable Robotics)

Overview | Johnson Space Center’s (JSC’s) HumanWorks Lab provides human health and performance technology development, incubation, and integration for human spaceflight. 

Details |

• Provides tools to address human health and performance gaps while collaborating with external partners
• Wearable robotics for assistance, exercise, rehabilitation 
• Physiology sensing technologies
• Human health data applications 
• Gamification of training and exercise 
• General prototyping, innovation, collaboration 

Exploration-Class Medical Capabilities 

Overview | Our unique exploration medical systems expertise and capabilities complement our space medical standards knowledge to optimize crew health, fitness and well-being, as well as technologies, for integrated testing of medical human-system interfaces and human performance resulting in system concepts and mission operations. Extreme Environment Medical Capabilities including expertise, skills, and knowledge are available to support development of advanced medical systems and operations for both commercial and military applications. 

Details |

• Development of new medical capabilities for commercial crew flights
• Novel space mission endeavors such as an orbiting commercial platform
• Terrestrial populations working and living in extreme or austere environments 
• Ocean vessel and facility operations to optimize human health and performance in dangerous environments 

Human Systems Integration 

Overview | Human Systems Integration (HSI) is a robust process by which human capabilities and limitations are effectively and affordably integrated with system design, development, and operations. 

Details | Human Systems Integration (HSI) is a systems engineering discipline to ensure our knowledge of human capabilities and limitations are accounted for throughout the entire project/program lifecycle. It establishes interdisciplinary and comprehensive management and technical processes to enhance human systems design, reduce cost, and improve integrated system (Human + Hardware + Software) performance.

Crew Inputs for Operations, Design & Development 

Overview | This small, flexible group of Human Engineering experts and stenographers have been conducting, collecting, and analyzing post-mission and on-orbit crew debriefs for the International Space Station (ISS) Program Office since the inception of ISS in 1998. They maintain the official ISS Crew Comments Database that houses ~106,000 comments from over 200 flown crewmembers, covering a wide range of topics from crew dining and hygiene to extravehicular activity/intravehicular activity (EVA/IVA) hardware performance and failures. This database is used to generate specific reports and lessons learned to inform designers, architects, engineers, researchers, and others who design and develop spaceflight vehicles and habitats. 

Details |

Services 

• Coordinate and conduct crew debriefs post-mission/on-orbit 
• Work with system managers to develop crew questions 
• Establish and execute unique debrief processes 
• Develop and maintain confidential debrief database
• Analyze data and generate reports and transcripts 
• Incorporation of historical and current ISS data 
• Provide Stenographer services 
• Provide Human Factors & Usability expertise on projects   

Products 

• Crew Questionnaires (Post-Mission and On-Orbit) 
• Crew Debrief Transcripts 
• Lessons Learned Reports (Topics, Missions, Systems) 

Human Engineering Displays and Controls Design and Evaluation 

Overview | The JSC Human Engineering Displays & Controls group utilizes an iterative user-centered design approach that ensures a system optimized for the user experience in the operational environment while reducing cost by getting feedback from users, subject matter experts, operational experts, etc. earlier in the design lifecycle. 

Details | Display standards provide guidelines that can be shared with developers to implement best practices up-front allowing evaluations to focus on other potential issues. 

• Usability Evaluations
• Human-in-the-loop (HITL) evaluations 
• Requirements development
• Task Analysis 
• Link Analysis 
• Task Allocation 
• Workload Assessment 
• Error Rate Analysis 

Human-In-The Loop Evaluations 

Overview | Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) evaluation encompasses testing of display and control formats, hand controller placement, habitat volumes and geometries, docking hatch operations, and many other scenarios where human subject input is necessary. 

Details |

Early and Iterative Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)

• Provide insight whether concepts of operations (con-ops) are realistic and achievable
• Reveal design and integration problems, and opportunities for cost efficient improvements 
• Extend the design process beyond 2D concepts (drawings, PowerPoint slides) to interactive 3D prototypes and mockups in order to evaluate task performance 
• Help to eliminate design flaws that may contribute to error, fatigue, loss of situation awareness, and other risks 
• Support consistent design of safety and mission critical displays and controls 
• Pave the way toward successful verifications 

Focus Areas for HITLs 

• Displays & Controls 
• Piloting, manual control, handling qualities & display usability 
• Seat design, ingress, and egress
• Crew vehicle egress, hatch operations, & post-landing survival 
• Emergency response 
• Habitability & environmental systems 
• Net Habitable Volume 
• Exercise
• Speech intelligibility (communications systems) 
• Stowage 
• Equipment access and use 

HITL Success Stories 

• Displays and Controls: HITL testing of the display formats occurs continually to ensure successful crew interaction for the breadth of tasks required. HITLs have identified colors for displays to use to minimize opportunity for error if viewed from different angles, the acceptable refresh rate for different display elements, and the overall configuration of displays to assist with mission task completion. All hand controllers have undergone extensive testing to ensure that all controls are operable under the conditions required. 
• Hand controller placement: HITL testing identification of in-board suited hand controller interference resulted in a design change to the mounts to eliminate the interference. 
• Legibility: HITL teams developed a new legibility method that is affordable for the Orion program and uses real flight-like displays and validated the method through HITL testing. The HITL testing also led to identification of a glare issue that has since been resolved through revised light locations. Legibility testing under Orion ascent vibration levels was conducted to determine whether the crew could read the ascent displays. HITL testing has also led to identification of lighting levels for the console backlighting and LED indicators to support different phases of flight and operations, including sleep. 
• Net Habitable Volume: HITL testing has led to development of hardware improvements around the cabin to support on-orbit operations, including restraints, radiation shelter concepts, exercise feasibility, and hygiene operations
• Vehicle egress: HITL testing has improved the efficiency with which the crew can safely egress the capsule, through modifications to hardware placement and operability
• Docking hatch operations: Build-up and evaluation of the docking hatch opening and partial egress testing has led to significant changes in the tunnel and on the hatch. 

Crew Task Analysis 

Overview | The JSC Human Factors Engineering Lab (HFEL) has extensive capabilities and experience in performing crew task analysis for space missions. 

Details | The JSC Human Factors Engineering Lab (HFEL) provides Crew Task Analysis for human spaceflight missions. Crew Task Analysis identifies the major tasks and subtasks that the crew will perform on a mission, along with information about resources needed for the task, and related constraints and parameters, e.g., number of crew, tools, task frequency, and dependencies. Crew Task Analysis helps ensure crew have the capabilities they need to perform mission tasks. Output from a Task Analysis informs required hardware and software decisions and features. It is also used to define relevant scenarios for testing and verification. 

Human Error Analysis (Human Rating) 

Overview | Human Error Analysis (HEA) is a systematic approach to evaluate human actions, identify potential human error, model human performance, and qualitatively characterize how human error affects a system. The goal of the Human Error Analysis (HEA) is to identify where system improvements are needed to reduce the frequency or consequences of error to improve the overall system. HEA identifies and eliminates or controls sources of human error (including flight crew and ground crew error). HEA reduces the contribution of human error to loss-of-crew (LOC) and loss-of-mission (LOM) using task analysis, hazard analysis, risk assessment, and testing and analyses to identify sources, consequences, and mitigations for human error. 

Details |

• Qualitative good design practices, qualitative and quantitative outcomes of tests, and quantitative findings from analyses
• Human error analysis to mitigate the contribution of human error 
• Display Formats Design and Test: text positioning, units display, consistent significant digits and colors, information flow, etc., all contributed to the reduction in error probability 
• Legibility Testing of clear legible labels/displays in different environments yielded fewer errors
• Digital Volt Meter (DVM) display; changed to display altitude in kft, the unit used during descent 
• Search and Rescue (SAR) radio; radio added to the Crew Survival Kit (CSK) to avoid disconnection or dropping the radio during the emergency egress operation 
• Potable Water Dispenser display; point-of-use valve was added to prevent overfill to avoid accidental leakage of water into the cabin 

Manual Control of Vehicles (Handling Qualities) – Assessment 

Overview | NASA’s Human Systems Engineering and Integration Division has extensive capabilities and experience in handling qualities assessment for spacecraft. Handling Qualities are those qualities or characteristics of a flight vehicle that govern the ease and precision with which a pilot can perform the various tasks that are required to support a given mission. 

Details | Handling qualities are measured on the “Cooper-Harper” (CH) rating scale, which was originally published in 1969. Since then, NASA, the FAA, DoD, and most foreign agencies have used CH ratings to assess the handling qualities of vehicles as a key component of flight certification. 

• Access to simulator facilities 
• Flight scenario definition 
• Task analyses 
• Performance criteria selection
• Test planning 
• Pilot briefing and familiarization 
• Test conduction and data collection 
• Data analysis 

Applied Injury Biomechanics Group 

Overview | The NASA Applied Injury Biomechanics (AIB) team primarily focuses on keeping astronauts safe during dynamic phases of spaceflight. These phases include launch, ascent, abort, on-orbit maneuvers, re-entry, descent, and landing. Lunar and other planetary missions also would require that safety measures be taken during descending to and ascending from a planetary surface. The AIB team has helped develop standards for vehicle designers that limit the loads and accelerations that crew members can be exposed to throughout a mission. Because time in space causes changes to astronauts’ bodies, the standards account for this by reducing exposure limits at the end of a mission. 

Details |

• Performs applied injury biomechanics assessments related to launch and landing
• Performs physical acceleration testing 
• Develops advanced modeling tools tailored for occupant protection in the context of the various vehicles and suits 

Human in the Loop Testing and Analog Mission Planning and Execution 

Overview | The Exploration Mission Planning Office (EMPO) at NASA JSC provides organizational expertise for analog mission planning and execution and integration of operational testing for space exploration. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing develops and assesses systems, innovations, and operational approaches to inform strategic architectural concept of operations decisions. 

Details | The Exploration Mission Planning Office at NASA JSC provides analog mission planning and execution of integrated operational testing for space exploration. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing capabilities include establishing and coordinating a multi-disciplinary approach for operational testing, integrating analysis and development components across NASA, and using the results of testing in relevant environments for closing technology, exploration, and science knowledge questions, gaps, and risks.