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-Blockage scenario (redrawn from Extravehicular Activities Space-To-Space Communication System Training Workbook, p. 2-6) Because of blockage, Radios 1 and 3 are unable to communicate with each other, although each can communicate with Radio 2. Radios 1 and 3 can have audio contact with each other only indirectly: the user of Radio 2 must relay audio messages.
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Preliminary considerations for a wearable computer system for astronauts on International Space Station (ISS) during extravehicular activity (EVA) are discussed. The proposed system acts as a client on a wireless network external to the ISS, and provides text, graphics, audio, and video to astronauts using a near-eye display. Primary design conside...
Citations
... Beyond the sensor itself, there are challenges in achieving a wearable electronic system suitable for the harsh environment of the space suit [38]- [41]. As electronics and sensor systems get smaller and more efficient, a great deal of research has been done on their applications for wearable human use in many fields. ...
... As electronics and sensor systems get smaller and more efficient, a great deal of research has been done on their applications for wearable human use in many fields. For space applications, requirements focus on safety, comfort, ease of use, operational simplicity, cost, electrical design, thermal, space environment (temperature, pressure, radiation), controls and displays, and operational life of systems [38]. Wearable electronics for the space suit has focused primarily in two areas: biomedical monitoring [41]- [43] and information display [38], [44]- [48]. ...
... For space applications, requirements focus on safety, comfort, ease of use, operational simplicity, cost, electrical design, thermal, space environment (temperature, pressure, radiation), controls and displays, and operational life of systems [38]. Wearable electronics for the space suit has focused primarily in two areas: biomedical monitoring [41]- [43] and information display [38], [44]- [48]. Recent work has also evaluated electronic system design for a variety of sensor applications integrated to wearable garments [49] and wireless data transfer between sensor systems [50], but are generic platforms independent of the sensor itself. ...
Working inside the space suit causes injury and discomfort, but suit assessment techniques such as measuring joint torques and ranges of motion fail to evaluate injury because they fail to distinguish interactions between the human and the space suit. Contact pressure sensing would allow a quantitative assessment of the nature and location of suit-body contact where injuries occur. However, commercially available systems are not well suited for measurement inside the confined environment of the space suit during movement. We report on the design of a wearable pressure sensing system, the Polipo. The Polipo dynamically measures between 5 and 60 kPa of pressure with kPa sensitivity, is within 10% root mean square error from a known loading profile during dynamic movement, and is a standalone system able to accommodate a 50th percentile female to a 95th percentile male upper body dimensions with near shirt-sleeve mobility. This paper focuses on the upper body, but the methods may be extended to the full body as future work. It provides a pressure sensing system that could be applied beyond the field of aerospace to assess human–garment interactions, for example recommending armor protection for defense applications or to alleviate fall impacts for medical applications.
... Key design drivers for an EVA information system are Safety, Comfort and Ease of Use, and Operational Simplicity [13]. By using only external hardware a trade-off is made and the electronics will need to withstand the vacuum and extreme temperatures, however the safety concerns of the operation of electronics in a high concentration of oxygen derived from the use of hardware inside the suit, as well as the necessary considerations for internal integration are eliminated. ...
Within the MOONWALK Project, a Human Machine Interface (HMI) prototype is being developed, with the objective of improving the exchange of information of an Astronaut with Mission Control during EVAs, and the situational awareness and autonomy of the Extravehicular Crew. It features procedure viewing, media transfer, telemetry display, video and audio streaming, voice loop system, robot control through push buttons and gestures, and communications during emergencies. The HMI will also assume 3 possible configurations: a wrist display, a chest display and a heads-up display, which are implemented for a comparability study. The HMI ought to be fully operational in natural Water Immersion Partial Gravity conditions, i.e. at water depths up to-20 meters, and be operable under the constraints of an exoskeleton spacesuit and gloves mockup. A Mission Control Centre is also being created in Brussels, Belgium, to test the HMI and to support EVA simulations.
... Most research in gloves has been limited to virtual reality or gesture recognition. Applying wearable technology and augmented reality in situations where robots have to be operated remotely is used in some research for space applications (Carr et al., 2001), (Wang et al., 2009), however, there are vast opportunities for further adoption of the technology. ...
The recent past has seen robots develop into autonomous artificial agents capable of executing complex tasks. In the near future, robots will likely develop the ability to adapt and learn from their surroundings. Robots have reliance, accuracy, and can operate in hostile environments - all attributes well suited for space exploration. Robots also reduce mission costs, increase design flexibility, and maximize data production. On the other hand, when faced with new scenarios and unexpected events, robots pale in comparison with intuitive and creative human counterparts. The future of space exploration will require that mission designers balance intelligently the flexibility and ingenuity of humans with robust and sophisticated robotic systems.The Cooperation of Humans And Robots for Mars (CHARM) team at the 2011 Space Studies Program of the International Space University integrates international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives to investigate Mars exploration objectives, robotic capabilities, and the interaction between humans and robots. Based on the goals of various space agencies, this report selects an exploration objective for the time frame between 2015 and 2035, and drafts different scenarios to accomplish this objective. Each scenario uses different degrees of human-robot interaction. A theoretical model is then developed based on discrete requirements to help create an effective combination of human and robots. The CHARM model uses an interdisciplinary approach, including technical, societal, political, legal, financial, scientific and mission risk perspectives. The results of the CHARM model are then further analyzed using these interdisciplinary aspects, with considerations to the future studies of human-robot cooperation.The CHARM team believes that this decision-making model can be used to select missions more efficiently and rationally, thus bringing down both mission costs and risks, and making space exploration more feasible.
... Further, humans move according to a positive system subject to relative contexts. WearSAT is a wearable computer, early in its design stages, for astronauts performing tasks in a space suit during extravehicular activities in space (Carr et al. 2002). When the wearer is a crewmember at a space station in outer space, his tangible world is di¤erent. ...
Wearable Computers create a personal augmented reality for people who wear them. Unlike virtual reality, wearable augmented reality could potentially alter mobility, interactivity, and beingness (existence) in the actual world. As wearable computers emerge as a medium of communication, several designers like Steve Mann, discuss their physical and political goals. In other words, these computers are actively being designed by the discourse that discusses them. This paper suggests that wearables ought to be considered in terms of semiotics and rhetoric during the early phases of media design. Treating wearable actions semiotically helps us understand the meaning-making potential of the medium. Treating the interface itself as a rhetorical text helps us understand how interfaces can be both manipulative and transformative. This paper uses Kenneth Burke’s rhetoric as a design framework, and it draws on the work of Marcel Danesi, Glenn Stillar and many others. It also examines many actual wearable computer inventions to foreground the nature of the medium.
... Further, humans move according to a positive system subject to relative contexts. WearSAT is a wearable computer, early in its design stages, for astronauts performing tasks in a space suit during extravehicular activities in space ( Carr et al. 2002). When the wearer is a crewmember at a space station in outer space, his tangible world is di¤erent. ...
Wearable Computers create a personal augmented reality for people who wear them. Unlike virtual reality, wearable augmented reality could potentially alter mobility, interactivity, and beingness (existence) in the actual world. As wearable computers emerge as a medium of communication, several designers like Steve Mann, discuss their physical and political goals. In other words, these computers are actively being designed by the discourse that discusses them. This paper suggests that wearables ought to be considered in terms of semiotics and rhetoric during the early phases of media design. Treating wearable actions semiotically helps us understand the meaning-making potential of the medium. Treating the interface itself as a rhetorical text helps us understand how interfaces can be both manipulative and transformative. This paper uses Kenneth Burke's rhetoric as a design framework, and it draws on the work of Marcel Danesi, Glenn Stillar and many others. It also examines many actual wearable computer inventions to foreground the nature of the medium.
... Studies by C. Carr and others [25,23] have demonstrated: ...
We describe a process for planning planetary extravehicular activity (EVA) traverses. It enables predictive and parametric analysis of planned traverses, and would improve uncertainty management and real-time replanning of traverses by space-suited astronauts. Using a traverse from the Apollo 14 mission as a case study we show how the same traverse might have benefited from our new approach to EVA planning. Finally, we discuss operational implementation challenges based on our experiences in the development of digital tools for geologic mapping, and on past experimentation with the NASA class III ground suit.
... Design considerations [2] were developed as the result of technical interchanges with Boeing, Hamilton Sundstrand, and NASA personnel and are briefly reviewed here. ...
A wearable situational awareness terminal (WearSAT) that provides text, graphics, and video to an astronaut via a near-eye display, and acts as a client on a wireless network, has the potential to enhance the ability of astronauts to perform useful work and cope with uncertainty during extravehicular activity (EVA). An initial implementation is described, including the supporting network architecture, a hardware prototype, and the results of experimentation with a space suit to assess packaging options and evaluate a near-eye display for compatibility with EVA tasks. Operational scenarios are used to derive requirements for software development.
Extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalks allows astronauts to accomplish some of the most important endeavors in space history. The importance of EVA will continue to increase as people venture further into our solar system. The spacesuit, used to protect the astronaut during EVA, is an anthropomorphic spacecraft that provides the physical environment a person needs to survive in the harsh environment of space. Although the suits are safe and effective, the pressurized suit becomes rigid in the vacuum of space, causing the astronaut to waste energy. Mechanical counterpressure (MCP) suits offer an alternative to gas pressurized suits by using elastic garments to provide pressure against the skin. Despite their many advantages, MCP suits are very difficult to put on, or don, making them infeasible for use today. A network of gas pressurized tubes is proposed as a solution to the donning problem. When pressurized, the tubes expand to become rigid, opening the MCP garment in the process. The system was modeled and a functional prototype was developed using a novel construction process. The model can be used as a design tool for future designs and the prototype serves as a proof-of-concept for this solution to the donning problem. The spectacular feats accomplish through spacewalks and space exploration inspire students to pursue an interest and career in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Since its inception, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been dedicated to educating the public about its compelling mission, fascinating discoveries, and the complicated technologies it develops. However, as the United States slips in indicators of student performance in STEM subjects, many look toward informal education, or education that occurs outside the classroom, to spur interest in STEM subjects. To maximize educational outcomes, NASA has developed a strategic framework to guide its educational programs. This framework is analyzed in the context of strategic management literature and suggests that the framework could be more easily implemented if NASA were to refine its education structure using the strengths of each of its directorates. The proposed framework was implemented in an informal education project and evaluated to determine if a projects implemented under the framework achieves the intended learning objectives. Students showed an increased understanding of NASA's mission and the complicated nature of space exploration. Suggestions to improve future projects are also given.
Abstract A Bio-Suit Systemstands to revolutionizehuman,space exploration by providing enhanced astronaut extravehicular activity (EVA) locomotion and life support based on the,con- cept of providing ,a ‘second skin’ capability ,for astronaut performance. The novel design concept is realized through symbiotic relationships in the areas of wearable tech- nologies; information systems and evolutionary space systems design; and biomedical breakthroughs,in skin ,replacement ,and materials. By working ,at the ,intersection of engineering; design; medicine; and operations, new emergent capabilities could be achieved. The Bio-Suit System would provide life support through mechanical counter- pressure where pressure is applied to the entire body through a tight-fitting suit with a helmet for the head. Wearable technologies will be embedded in the Bio-Suit layers and the outer layer might be recyclable. Hence, images of ‘spraying on’ the inner layer of the Bio-Suit System emerge, which offers design advantages for extreme, dusty, plane- tary environments. Flexible space system design methods,are slated to enable,adapta- tion of Bio-Suit hardware ,and software elements in the ,context of changing ,mission requirements. Reliability can be assured,through dependence,of Bio-Suit layers acting onlocal,needs and conditions through self-repair at localized sites while preserving overall system integrity. The proposed Bio-Suit System contributes to four under-repre- sented NIAC areas, specifically, human space flight, life sciences, information systems and software, and biology. The Bio-Suit System is relevant to NASA’sstrategic plan and stated visionary challenges in the Human Exploration and Development of Space, AeroSpace Technology, and Space Science enterprises. Astonaut Bio-Suit for Exploration Class Missions: NIAC Phase I Report Contents
