Autori Flavie A.A.S.D.T. Rometscha,b,c, Andrea E.M. Casinic,d, Anne Drepperc, Aidan Cowleyc, Joost C.F. de Winterb, Jian Guoa
Affiliazione
a Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, the Netherlands
b Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, the Netherlands
c European Astronaut Centre (EAC), European Space Agency (ESA), Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne, Germany
dAgenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Via del Politecnico, 00133 Rome, Italy
Abstract Humans are embarking on a new era of space exploration with the plan of sending crewed spacecraft beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Extravehicular activities (EVAs) will represent a crucial part of the scientific activities to be carried out during these missions, and they will involve extensive geological fieldwork. These EVAs entail many challenges as real-time ground support cannot be provided to astronauts during these operations. Therefore, modern human-machine interfaces have to be designed to support astronauts, during their deep space missions, by enhancing their mission autonomy and reducing ground communication dependability for real-time operations. Augmented reality (AR) has found a broad range of applications in many domains including the space industry, specifically for procedural work. Several studies have been performed on the effectiveness of AR in assisting procedure-guided tasks for both on-board and on-ground operations; nevertheless, so far, none has focused on the development of a tool capable of supporting astronauts during geological field exploration, more specifically geological site inspection activities. Based on the research currently performed regarding Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in combination with AR for visualization and enhanced situational awareness purposes and, accounting for the lessons learnt from the Apollo program, the International Space Station (ISS), and several analogue mission campaigns, the present work investigates the benefits obtained through the use of these technologies applied to future planetary and lunar human space exploration. This study presents an Augmented Reality (AR) IoT tool for astronauts to carry out geological activities. It proposes a theoretically-informed user-centred design method supported by expert feedback and an evaluation method. The AR-IoT tool was assessed via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with ESA astronauts and geological field activities experts, at the European Space Agency’s Astronaut Centre (ESA-EAC), in Cologne. A qualitative content analysis of the interviews showed that user satisfaction was the first most mentioned (32% of 139 quotes) usability aspect. Key design factors identified include: displaying solely important information in the field of view while adjusting it to the user's visual acuity, extensibility, simplicity and easy usage. The second most mentioned (24% of 139 quotes) usability aspect was user interaction, with voice seen as the most intuitive input. Finally, this research accentuates important factors determining the usability and operational feasibility of an AR tool for astronaut analogue training missions and provides a foundation for future design iterations and an eventual integration of AR into the spacesuit’s visor.
Analogue astronaut Fouchet with Microsoft HoloLens running the AR-IoT tool during a Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) analogue mission in Utah, US (credits: MDRS Crew 263).
