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Space hardware design, as well as that for hardware destined to work in 1-g environment, needs to be submitted to a complete design verification process before final utilisation in nominal conditions. As space hardware ground verification is difficult and expensive, a design verification philosophy has been developed in order to reach, as far as possible, the highest degree of space hardware reliability and usability and hence to increase crew productivity via a perfect integration of man and machines. This activity is mainly based on a complete hardware testing process (first on ground, then in microgravity simulated environment and, at the end, during a short duration space mission) and on a correct test procedure preparation in order to avoid inconveniences during test execution. Opportunity for an application of the design verification philosophy has been given by Columbus Precursor Flights and the related MIRIAM '95 programme.

One of the issues that extended spaceflight raises is the provision to the crew of a living environment not only safe but also comfortable and pleasant, two features which also enhance crew productivity. Interior design and decor are understood to gain more relevance as mission duration increases. This means that colour theory application to the actual space system configuration becomes a fundamental step. Obviously, two other relevant variables are the impact of the overall environment (e.g., illumination, structural design, other decorative techniques adopted) and the personal taste, mediated by his own experience, of the designer. The presented work started from a brief review of the general principles pertaining to colour theory, analyzing commonly accepted systems used to categorize and individualize colours with an unambiguous procedure, to exploit the theory as an exact, almost mathematical, tool.