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This paper presents a conceptual design of a short-radius centrifuge for orbital application, contained in an inflatable structure. The objectives of this design are: to support the physical effectiveness of the crew by offering an exercise facility; to provide a test bed for biomedical experiments on human centrifugation in orbit; and to offer recreational benefits during long periods of confinement. The use of a pneumatic structure that can expand in orbit allows maximizing the radius of the centrifuge within mass and launch constraints. The proposed project is composed of elements with standard interfaces; its environmental design is based on human factor considerations from biomedical literature, and it respects current ergonomics and NASA standards.

Posture and gait controls underlie the fundamental physical and cognitive human factors necessary for astronauts’ safety and performance in Space. This central subsystem is adversely affected when exposed to an extreme or hostile environment. A specific stimulation, using dermal optical sensitivity, can be provided to the central nervous system to counteract peripheral stimulations due to microgravity as well as other negative stressors. We believe using dermal optical sensitivity-based stimulation can be key in the performance enhancement necessary to ensure human based space mission viability and success.

A sense of “personal integrity” blocks pilot use of new information about how he thinks. Research on human performance under stress done over the past fifty years indicates increased rigidity and regression to earlier learned behavior in high stress, and in low Stress a shift in attention to any domestic situation or on the job controversy which is of higher stress than that of the job at hand, all without the pilot's knowledge. Informal surveys of commercial pilot training and commercial pilot attitudes towards these studies indicate that the study findings directly confront learned cultural responses. Pilot and trainer reactions prevent the information from being adequately investigated or formally taught. The findings are not written into training manuals and pilots who are informally given the information do not have adequate access to the knowledge when it is needed.

The purpose of this ARP is to provide criteria that will lead to and support existing regulatory standards of systems for UAM/AMM/eVTOL aircraft such that the emergency systems will facilitate egress under emergency conditions. Consideration is given to existing requirements of the FAA and to the recommendations of aircraft operators and those involved in the manufacture or use of the emergency lighting system. Occupant safety is the primary objective, with appropriate provisions for crew (pilot) system control taken into consideration. Consideration is also given to autonomous aircraft in which passengers are required to egress without the aid or direction of crew. The criteria established herein are intended to produce an emergency lighting system that will comply with the Federal and International Regulations. However, these recommendations are but one means of meeting the objective.

For human beings who have been reared on the earth with its 1 G gravitational field, the condition of weightlessness is a world with which we are unfamiliar. Even if the layout and equipment configuration of a spacecraft designed to compensate for operation under Zero-G conditions, there are some things which are not effective under actual weightless conditions. In the design of a manned spacecraft, it is necessary to accumulate design data on human performance in a weightless condition, then to undertake design evaluations and verification under weightless conditions. In this paper, testing for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of Zero-G simulation using neutral buoyancy, conducted first of all in Japan, and recommendations on the equipment and Facilities required to conduct such simulations, are described.

Workspace is an important function for human factors analysis and is widely applied in product design, manufacturing, and ergonomics evaluations. This paper presents the workspace analysis and visualization for Santos™ upper extremity, a new virtual human with over 100 DOFs that is highly realistic in terms of appearance, behavior, and movement. Jacobian Rank deficiency method is implemented to determine the singular surfaces. The joint limits are considered in this formulation; three types of singularities are analyzed. This closed-form formulation can be extended to numerous different scenarios such as different percentiles, age groups, or segments of body. A realtime scheme is used to build the workspace library for Santos™ that will study the boundary surfaces off-line and apply them to Santos™ in the virtual environment (Virtools®). To visualize the workspace, we develop a user interface to generate the cross section of the reach envelope with a plane.

One of the most unsolved problems in space projects, where human beings are involved, is the impossibility of simulating on the ground the effects of microgravity on astronauts' operability in space. [1] In particular, this is traceable in the performance of work activities, such as performing physiological scientific experiments. [2] This paper focuses on a study of the gap between the two operational scenarios: the ground test simulation and the in-flight space performance of complex physiological experiments. The major differences between the two operational scenarios are highlighted, and recommendations for improvement are suggested. The main finding of this paper is that, in order to make experiment performance not only possible but also easy and efficient, it is necessary to consider all human factors involved. With this perspective, the author's aim has been to find an effective way to consider all human factors of the ground and space operational conditions.

Optimal trajectory studies of aircraft in wind shear have resulted in insight as how to best fly an aircraft in a wind shear; these also question some previous (and current) recommendations. Recent accidents and incidents give new support for some old ideas. Human factors problems of information transfer to and from the cockpit and pilot interface with the aircraft are discussed. Some miscellaneous information is included for the record with reintroduction of some old data which are important but not currently provided to pilots. Because of the chronological record, the miscellaneous information is discussed first.

Starting with a brief review of the history of wind shear related accidents and incidents over the last 20 years, the pilot view of the wind shear encounter from the cockpit will be presented. With this view as the basis, the human factors aspect of the wind shear encounter will be discussed. Based on this insight, cockpit systems development to aid the crew in an inadvertant wind shear encounter will be reviewed.

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The aim of this document is to provide a comprehensive synopsis of regulations applicable to aircraft oxygen systems. The context of physiological requirements, international regulations, operational requirements and airworthiness standards is shown to understand the role of aircraft oxygen systems and to demonstrate under which circumstances is needed on aircraft. With regards to National Aviation Regulations States are committed to the Convention on International Aviation (Chicago Convention). The majority of states have adopted, with some deviations, FAA and EASA systems including operational and airworthiness requirements. Accordingly the extent of this document is primarily focused on FAA/EASA requirements.

This book provides an introduction to the role, value, scope and the unique contributions the field of human factors can bring to the design process for all products. Aimed at the engineer and manager with no formal training in the life and social sciences, it is not intended to train the methods of human factors, but rather to provide knowledge that will enable engineers and managers to determine if including human factors in the planning and execution of product design is justified. Chapters include: Reasons Engineers Provide for Limiting Emphasis on Human Factors The Academic Disciplines Supporting Human Factors Human Factors Engineering and more

Current helicopter cockpit design is no longer optimal for the high workload environment of Nap-of-the-Earth helicopter missions. A high degree of information processing is required to obtain a total picture of the flight environment. Under conditions of high workload and battle stress, the extra time and effort required for this cognitive processing may be too costly. Advances in technology have allowed for qualitative changes in information display - visual symbols can be displayed on CRT screens and voice messages can be used for an auditory display. Both sources of information can be encorporated into an integrated warning system. The Helicopter/VTOL Human Factors Office at NASA-Ames Research Center has begun to study the requirements for an integrated warning system in the helicopter cockpit.

Failure analysis of engineering systems typically emphasizes identification and mitigation under an independent failure assumption with dependent failures treated as the exception rather than the rule. Some frameworks for addressing dependent failures through analysis appear in standards including NUREG 0492, ISO 26262, MIL-1629-A, and ARP4761 amongst others. The purpose of identifying these dependencies is to allow system analysts to determine and quantify the factors that influence dependent fault probabilities. Once identified, failure relationships can be incorporated into a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) of the system, providing a mathematically rigorous estimate of system utility (e.g., availability, reliability). The output of a simulation can provide an expected value of performance but additionally, can also allow the analyst to identify the downstream impact of probabilistic dependencies between system elements.

Soon, pilots will be able to look at the outside world through an artificial window called Vision 1, a new system developed by Universal Avionics Systems Corporation. Vision 1 takes the situational awareness advances from TAWS (terrain awareness warning system) to a new level by generating real time terrain depictions on the pilot’s primary flight displays. These real time perspective terrain images, with additional three-dimensional position, flight plan and trend vector depictions, improve situational awareness of proximate terrain toward the perennial goal to enhance safety and reduce CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) accidents. Advances in computer processor, graphics, displays and solid-state memory technologies coupled with availability of worldwide digital terrain databases have enabled situational awareness displays. Early TAWS (terrain awareness warning system) utilized these technologies to produce situational awareness terrain depictions on weather radar displays.

Analyses are currently being conducted in the Man-Systems Division of the NASA Johnson Space Center, on the restructured Space Station Freedom configuration to determine viewing requirements for both robotic tasks and for extravehicular crew activities. The use of the PLAID software, a 3-D modeling simulation tool, provides a simulation of the environment and the system hardware to identify potential problem areas needing further refinement in design development. This process enables human factors considerations and issues to be explored during the design process, to identify and correct problems before hardware is actually constructed. Preliminary results have identified several potential viewing problem areas with the available lighting for both robotic and extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks.

Recent accident data has raised issues concerning the risks involved in pleasure flying. Data analysis indicates that pilot's values and risk taking behaviors are major contributing factors. Trends in aviation costs and litigation constitute a crisis that requires a redefinition of the concept of “accident” and improved accident prevention measures.

The development of virtual environment technology at NASA Ames Research Center and other research institutions has created opportunities for enhancing human performance. The application of this technology to training astronaut flight crews planning to go onboard the International Space Station has already begun at the NASA Johnson Space Center. A unique application of virtual environments to crew training is envisioned at NASA Ames Research Center which combines state of the art technology with haptic feedback to create a method for training crewmembers on critical life sciences operations which require fine motor skills. This paper describes such a concept, known as the Virtual Glovebox, as well as surveys other applications of virtual environments to astronaut crew training.

Most airline maintenance human factors training programs miss the mark when it comes to producing optimal behavioral and procedural changes among participating maintenance professionals. While there are many causes for training outcomes which are less than desired and anticipated, principal among these are the failure of most programs to address the pragmatic learning needs of those technicians as adult learners. Attention to andragogical principles such as clear learning goals, readily apparent relevance and direct applicability of material, immediate feedback, learner directed inquiry and self assessment can contribute greatly to achieving optimal results. A program currently under development at Purdue University utilizes a combination of classroom instruction, group discussion, and learner participation in aviation maintenance scenarios as a method for improving human factors education.

The unique development environment of NASA's Space Station Freedom (SSF) creates numerous challenges to the design of a common user interface for operating the spacecraft. Astronauts on board SSF will utilize multi-purpose workstations as their primary command and control interface to the vehicle. With the exception of some dedicated hardware controls, the vast majority of the workstation user interface will be implemented in software. The specification and design of the SSF user interface requires the synthesis of on-orbit operational requirements with multiple systems' functional requirements, all of which emanate from geographically and organizationally distributed entities. Human factors requirements as well as constraints imposed by the SSF Displays and Controls (D&C) system architecture are additional considerations.