Human Factors in Spacelab: Crew Training

At NASA-Ames Research Center's Life Sciences Flight Experiments Project Office two payloads for the Shuttle Spacelab are currently in development. The first payload, Spacelab-3, will launch in November 1984. Unique life sciences hardware designed to support animals in 0-g will fly for the first time. Flight crew training sessions for the Spacelab-3 astronauts began in June 1982. Human factors involvement is extensive. A thorough understanding of both the 1-g and 0-g environments is necessary. The weightlessness of the space environment creates special conditions; e.g., the time required for a 1-g laboratory experiment significantly increases in 0-g. The transportation of objects in 0-g uses different techniques than on Earth. These considerations, plus others, are incorporated into the design of the Spacelab-3 crew training program. The training begins with payload orientation sessions and then progresses to hardware and experiment task training. After successful completion of task training, the crew participates in phase training which is a full-up mission simulation. Refresher and proficiency training is conducted at appropriate intervals. Throughout the crew training sessions the flight crew has input into the flight procedures and any “crew factors” hardware modifications as needed.