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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operations Challenges in a Dynamic Environment: A Three-Year Perspective of SAGE III

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III on the International Space Station (SAGE III/ISS) was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) on 23 February 2017. The SAGE III/ISS payload was robotically installed external to the ISS and began acquiring science measurements on 17 March 2017. The SAGE III/ISS instrument retrieves vertical profiles of atmospheric ozone, multi-wavelength aerosol extinctions, and other gaseous species. This paper will focus on the improvements made to the operations of the SAGE III/ISS payload. A key focus of the operations team following commissioning was to create robust tools that aid in the operations of the payload. A close collaboration with the SAGE III/ISS ground systems team allowed for the development of web-based tools to continuously monitor the health of the payload. The mission operations team also worked with the SAGE III/ISS science team to gain a better sense of how the instrument works to maximize the quality and quantity of the science data collected. Another unique aspect of the SAGE III/ISS payload, that will be discussed, is the challenges of operating a hosted payload on the ISS; an active platform that has frequent attitude maneuvers, dockings, and EVAs. This active environment increases the need for the SAGE III/ISS operations team command to the payload. Through coordination and teamwork, SAGE III/ISS mission has developed an operations team, tool, and procedures that have successfully managed the payload around ISS activities and recovered from multiple instrument upsets. This has led the SAGE III/ISS payload to successfully surpass the acquisition metrics set forth prior to launch, allowing for the continued contribution to studying the atmospheric composition of the stratosphere and how it plays a role in Earth’s climate.

SAGE III↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Leading University Students to the Edge of Space

For over 16 years, the Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE), the NASA Balloon Program Office (BPO), and the NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) have collaborated in a series of high altitude balloon-based programs involving hands-on authentic learning experiences that expose university students and other participants to technical skills, teamwork dynamics, and effective communication methods. Such programs go beyond what is possible to achieve in a normal classroom and help prepare future engineers and scientists for a successful aerospace workforce career. In our collaborative effort, LaSPACE has focused on the program content and student mentoring while NASA BPO and CSBF provide balloon flight support and operations. The entry-level Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students (LaACES) builds students’ skills in basic electronics, sensor interfacing, real-time programming, mechanical development, and project management. These skills are then applied to the design, development, fabrication, and flight of a small (∼500 gram) balloon payload. Finally, the payloads are flight-tested to an altitude of ∼30 km using a 2 kg latex sounding balloon. The LaACES program includes a set of lectures, activities, and Arduino Mega based electronic kits that are used for skill building and as a core control system for the student payload. The more advanced High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) is designed to carry ∼twelve 3 to 20 kg student payloads to an altitude of about 36 kilometers with flight durations of 10 to 20 hours using a ∼311,500 cubic meter, zero pressure balloon. HASP provides all student payloads with power, downlink telemetry, uplink commanding, and real-time HD video for instrument control and assessment during the flight. While originally developed for university students, these programs have been adapted to projects focused on high school teachers as well as affecting minorities underrepresented in aerospace related science and engineering fields. We are now in the process of adapting the LaACES materials to a pre-engineering curriculum for high school students as well as for widespread access over the internet. During this presentation, we will provide details of both the LaACES and HASP programs, how these programs have engaged participants from all demographic groups, and our current plans for continuing and expanding upon our success.

University↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operating a Crewed Spacecraft in the Age of Commercial Space Using Private/Government Partnership

Fifty years after humans completed a large-scale United States government-funded and government-engineered effort of landing humans on the moon, human spaceflight has entered a new paradigm. Private companies are now investing their own money and taking on an ever-increasing role in human spaceflight, in partnership with the U.S. government. This paper will describe the development of one of these partnerships through the lens of its mission operations team. As part of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA selected Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner as one of the next generation of crewed vehicles. Boeing opted to partner with the US Government for their Starliner operations by contracting with NASA’s Mission Control teams in the Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) at the Johnson Space Center to create its own Mission Operations (MO) flight controllers. Partnering with FOD provided benefits to both Boeing and NASA while also creating new challenges. MO brought over 60 years of crewed spaceflight experience and infrastructure to Boeing’s new program. Within certain legal constraints, MO was able to work closely and efficiently with their FOD counterparts who were performing both integration duties and, under the auspices of the CCP, insight of the contractors, in this case Boeing. Involvement of NASA as the Boeing operations agent did lead to what management deemed a ‘healthy tension’ within FOD, challenging old processes and often creating better, more robust teamwork. Successful development of the framework and boundaries of both the legal aspects and the oversight tensions has been one of the keys to developing a successful corporate/government partnership. Due to the highly automated nature of the Starliner, the MO organization was designed to be much smaller than previous NASA’s flight control teams for past programs. NASA has learned through the decades that spacecraft design and operations need to be as flexible and forgiving as possible. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program was established to sponsor corporate development of economical vehicles that could get humans to and from low Earth orbit. These companies, of course, need to meet contractual obligations in providing a safe means of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), but also need to do so in a manner that leads to the venture resulting in a profit at the same time. Through MO’s involvement in the development of this spaceflight paradigm shift, there are ample lessons to be conveyed to future teams and programs working to develop similar missions.

Robert C. Dempsey↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operating a Crewed Spacecraft in the Age of Commercial Space Using Private/Government Partnership

Fifty years after humans completed a large-scale United States government-funded and government-engineered effort of landing humans on the moon, human spaceflight has entered a new paradigm. Private companies are now investing their own money and taking on an ever-increasing role in human spaceflight, in partnership with the U.S. government. This paper will describe the development of one of these partnerships through the lens of its mission operations team. As part of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA selected Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner as one of the next generation of crewed vehicles. Boeing opted to partner with the US Government for their Starliner operations by contracting with NASA’s Mission Control teams in the Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) at the Johnson Space Center to create its own Mission Operations (MO) flight controllers. Partnering with FOD provided benefits to both Boeing and NASA while also creating new challenges. MO brought over 60 years of crewed spaceflight experience and infrastructure to Boeing’s new program. Within certain legal constraints, MO was able to work closely and efficiently with their FOD counterparts who were performing both integration duties and, under the auspices of the CCP, insight of the contractors, in this case Boeing. Involvement of NASA as the Boeing operations agent did lead to what management deemed a ‘healthy tension’ within FOD, challenging old processes and often creating better, more robust teamwork. Successful development of the framework and boundaries of both the legal aspects and the oversight tensions has been one of the keys to developing a successful corporate/government partnership. Due to the highly automated nature of the Starliner, the MO organization was designed to be much smaller than previous NASA’s flight control teams for past programs. NASA has learned through the decades that spacecraft design and operations need to be as flexible and forgiving as possible. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program was established to sponsor corporate development of economical vehicles that could get humans to and from low Earth orbit. These companies, of course, need to meet contractual obligations in providing a safe means of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), but also need to do so in a manner that leads to the venture resulting in a profit at the same time. Through MO’s involvement in the development of this spaceflight paradigm shift, there are ample lessons to be conveyed to future teams and programs working to develop similar missions.

Robert C. Dempsey↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Process Model of Interpersonal Relationship Formation in Isolated and Confined Environments

Future space crews will face several challenges such as living and working in a confined environment, isolated from others. These circumstances increase the importance of interpersonal compatibility, teamwork, and team performance. The interpersonal compatibility of space crews has been and continues to be of interest to both NASA and the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP), whose research informs operations for Roscosmos. In NASA-sponsored research, interpersonal compatibility has been examined in terms of how the combination of team members’ personality traits, values, and demographics shape team member relationships and team performance overtime. IBMP-sponsored research mostly has moved away from trait-based approaches toward an idiographic (in-depth, heavily descriptive) approach to researching crew interpersonal relations. This research uses software such as Personal Self-Perception and Attitudes (PSPA), network approaches to team member relations, and content analysis of interactions to assess interpersonal compatibility, and infer states and team dynamics. Our research program integrated these ideas. Our primary research aim was to develop and empirically test a process model of interpersonal relationship formation in isolated and confinement environments. We created a model, collected data from teams in an isolated and confined environment, and applied a novel analytical strategy that combines trait, state, and interaction data (i.e., relational events). We focused specifically on the formation of strained relationships in isolation and confinement—or with whom fellow crewmembers find it difficult to work.

S T Bell↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing Soft Skill in the Geosciences: NASA DEVELOP’s Approach to Strengthening Soft Skills in the Future Geospatial Workforce

Part of NASA’s Applied Sciences, the DEVELOP Program bridges the gap between NASA Earth Science and potential users through rapid feasibility studies that apply Earth observations to environmental decision making needs. The program conducts 50-60 studies a year that engage participants – students, recent graduates, early career individuals, and transitioning career professionals – in autonomous teamwork with an emphasis on professional development and communication. The experience offers participants a robust opportunity to build their teaming skills (facilitated through programmatic personality assessments and discussions), interpersonal communication, and critical thinking skills which are central to project work in the DEVELOP model. The program also offers leadership opportunities where participants lead their peers within a supportive environment. This presentation will introduce the DEVELOP model for soft skill development, lessons learned, and highlight testimonials of past participants.

Amanda Clayton↗
NASA NTRS2021

OSIRIS-REx Proximity Operations and Navigation Performanceat (101955) Bennu

The NASA Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft began close proximity operations at the small (500-m diameter) B-type asteroid (101955) Bennu in December 2018 and concluded in May 2021. Hundreds of grams of pristine surface regolith were collected on October 20, 2020, when the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully executed the Touch and Go (TAG) sample collection sequence. The spacecraft touched down within 1 meter of the targeted site on the surface of Bennu. TAG was the culmination of over 2 years of navigation performance refinement as a result of extraordinary interagency teamwork between the Flight Dynamics System (FDS), science and spacecraft teams while in close proximity to Bennu. This paper will discuss the navigation processes, planning and performance during the proximity operations at Bennu.

Peter G. Antreasian↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

OSIRIS-REx Proximity Operations and Navigation Performance at (101955) Bennu

The NASA Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft began close proximity operations at the small (500-mdiameter) B-type asteroid (101955) Bennu in December 2018 and concluded in May 2021.Hundreds of grams of pristine surface regolith were collected on October 20, 2020, when the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully executed the Touch and Go (TAG) sample collection sequence. The spacecraft touched down within 1 meter of the targeted site on the surface of Bennu. TAG was the culmination of over 2 years of navigation performance refinement as a result of extraordinary interagency teamwork between the Flight Dynamics System (FDS),science and spacecraft teams while in close proximity to Bennu. This paper will discuss the navigation processes, planning and performance during the proximity operations at Bennu.

Peter G Antresian↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) Experience: Inspiring High School Students in Stem Through Mentorship and Collaborative Skills Development

Since 2016, the Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) program offered by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) has provided an interactive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning experience for Virginia high school juniors and seniors. The VESSS program was created through a partnership with VSGC, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), and Hampton University to engage students in learning about Earth’s climate change and its global impacts. High school students from all areas of Virginia learn about Earth science and climate change in a 16 week online course focused on the Earth’s surface and interior, atmospheric composition, weather, water energy cycles, and climate variability. Students that complete the online course are invited to a no-cost seven-day residential summer academy at NASA LaRC where students are divided into teams based on four of the major spheres of study for Earth: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Each team is guided by a Master Teacher and teams of undergraduate student interns who were also previous VESSS scholars. Students interview for team positions and are given a role reflecting an actual satellite design team position such as project scientist, research scientist, budget analyst, launch and orbit analyst, contamination analyst, and education and public outreach specialist. The students spend a week mentored by NASA and industry scientists and engineers as they learn how to select science goals and objectives, select science instruments, balance a mission budget, determine the mission launch location and orbit, and communicate the importance of the mission to the public. Each team produces a mission proposal, and at the end of the week, each team presents their portion of the mission to a panel of experts, followed by a question and answer period. Through this week students learn teamwork, communication, time management, meeting management, and research skills. Project work is supplemented by team-building activities, NASA facility tours, and lectures by acclaimed guest speakers such as Dr. Christine Darden, a NASA “Hidden Figure.” Students have conveyed through course evaluations and testimonials not only the vast personal learning and growth they achieved, but also the new perspectives they gained on future STEM career fields and opportunities to explore.

Elaine Seasly↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thinking Inside the Box: A Hands-On Student Activity for Building a Contamination Containment Glovebox to Encourage Problem Solving in a Collaborative Environment

Contamination containment gloveboxes are sealed containers where operators outside the glovebox can safely manipulate hazardous or contamination-sensitive materials inside the glovebox through glove ports on the container. Containment gloveboxes are used in the space industry to study sample materials returned from space such as lunar, asteroid, and comet materials, to manufacture sensitive instruments and space ight hardware, and to perform contamination-sensitive experiments. A hands-on activity has been developed by contamination control engineer and STEM education experts as part of the Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) summer academy program to teach high school students about gloveboxes and about problem solving in a collaborative environment. In this activity, student teams are given a list of common household materials (e.g. plastic bags, plastic straws, aluminum foil, tape, disposable gloves, etc.) for building their own glovebox. Students work together to sketch and design their glovebox before being provided a kit of materials, which they must purchase along with any extra materials with a mock team budget. They are given 30 minutes to build their glovebox, however, they do not know what will be placed inside the glovebox or what operations they will need to perform within the glovebox. At the end of the build time, teams are given a small, sealed paper envelope which they place in the glovebox. Each team selects a team member to be designated as the operator, and the operator places their hands in the gloves of the glovebox. The operator uses their gloves to open the envelope in the glovebox, and they discover they have 20 minutes to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. However, the puzzle is \contaminated" with talcum powder. After the 20 minute time period, teams are judged on how well they completed and cleaned the contaminated puzzle. In a post-activity debrief, teams discuss lessons learned such as how the actual built box di ered from the sketched design, the challenge of managing a budget for materials, how the team dealt with surprises, and if their glovebox allowed enough room for the operator to perform the task. This activity has been part of the VESSS summer academy since 2016, and teaches students teamwork, creativity, hands-on experimentation, communication, and reasoning skills. In a demonstration at IAC, a volunteer from the audience will be chosen to assemble a glovebox during the presentation using the same kit of materials and will demonstrate handling puzzle pieces in the completed glovebox.

Elaine Seasly↗
NASA NTRS2022

NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook

This handbook is the companion document to NPR 7120.5F, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements. It represents the accumulation of knowledge on managing program and projects derived from NASA’s human, robotic, and scientific missions. It incorporates the “corporate knowledge” for existing and future NASA space flight programs and projects, including NASA’s Artemis missions to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon through collaboration with commercial and international partners, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission, and NASA’s robotic missions on Mars. The practices discussed have evolved as a function of NASA’s core values of safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion, and may also prove a resource for other agencies, the private sector, and academia. The knowledge gained from the Agency’s victories and defeats, including the checks and balances and initiatives to better control cost and risk, provides a foundation for continuing an exciting and healthy space program. This handbook provides implementation guidance for NPR 7120.5F and includes the changes and updates to key procedural requirements in NPR 7120.5F since NPR 7120.5E. The goal of the NPR requirements is to ensure programs and projects are developed and successfully executed in the most cost-effective and efficient manner possible. This handbook provides context, rationale, and explanation to facilitate the application of requirements and to pass on some of the hard-won best practices and lessons learned.

Tracy L Osborne↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

GeneLab for High Schools – Bioinformatic Training For Students And Educators

Modern biological sciences are increasingly based on high-throughput molecular techniques, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. NASA’s GeneLab program has collected extensive data from ‘omics’ studies, curated them into an accessible platform and provided data analysis/visualization tools to facilitate the generation of new hypotheses and research directions. GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS), launched in 2017, has endeavored to utilize this database and provide tools for students to understand and analyze omics datasets whilst also learning about spaceflight research. The GL4HS program ran in person at Ames from 2017-2019 and has run virtually since 2020. Each year fifteen high school students are trained to analyze and interpret GeneLab transcriptomic data. Additionally, in the last several years we have expanded our “teacher training program” to include 10 teachers total in an effort to enable this program to be utilized in classrooms across the USA. Teachers also join the NASA GeneLab Education Working Group (EWG) enabling support as they implement custom GL4HS modules into their classrooms. The GL4HS program consists of three main components – (1) core learning modules, (2) networking and teamwork, and (3) an independent learning project. Students are also taught critical networking and science communication skills facilitating their ability to ‘sell their science’ in innovative and creative ways. This program has enabled students to learn about biology in space and to have a glimpse into the world of research for the first time. Many of the students in this program shared that the course was transformative to their perception about biological sciences and how it linked to other areas of STEM. The ultimate and long-term goal of GL4HS is to expand the program to multiple locations thereby facilitating the reach of NASA Space Biology beyond NASA-centric regions.

GeneLab↗
NASA NTRS2022

Thinking Inside the Box: A Hands-on Student Activity for Building a Contamination Containment Glovebox to Encourage Problem Solving in a Collaborative Environment

Engineers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and education experts from the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) partnered together to create a hands-on student activity to teach students about problem solving, working in a collaborative environment, and about the unique career fields of contamination control and planetary protection. The activity focuses on contamination containment gloveboxes, which are sealed containers where operators outside the glovebox can safely manipulate hazardous or contamination-sensitive materials inside the glovebox through glove ports on the container. The activity utilizes common household materials and teams of students work together to design and build a glovebox using the materials provided. Once the glovebox has been constructed, students perform a task under a time constraint by using their glovebox to assemble a puzzle “contaminated” with corn starch. In a post-activity debrief, teams discuss lessons learned such as how the actual built glovebox differed from the sketched design, the challenge of managing a budget for materials, how the team dealt with surprises, and if their glovebox allowed enough room for the operator to perform the task. This activity has been part of VSGC’s Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) summer academy program for high school students since 2016, and has been an engaging method to teach students teamwork, creativity, hands-on experimentation, communication, and reasoning skills while also teaching them about unique engineering fields such as contamination control and planetary protection.

Student activity↗
NASA NTRS2023

What’s That Supposed to Mean? Capturing Micro-Behaviors in Teams

Future long-duration space exploration (LDSE) crews will require extensive coordination, cooperation, and team functioning as they face a myriad of challenges rooted in both taskwork and teamwork (Bell et al., 2015; Landon et al., 2018). While exposed to extreme conditions, crew members must navigate living and working together in prolonged confinement. Moreover, astronaut teams are becoming increasingly diverse, introducing significant variability in team composition. This increasing diversity, alongside traditional constraints of LDSE, introduces additional challenges into effective team functioning. To date, most methods for capturing team functioning rely on self-report measures. Such measures are prone to several limitations, including but not limited to social desirability bias, halo effect, and leniency effects (Trull & Ebner-Priemer, 2013), which skew data and limit nuanced understandings of phenomena at play. Self-report measures broadly capture team functioning, lending the nature of such methods to identifying underlying “macro”-behaviors (i.e., behaviors that are long-standing and last over time). However, team functioning is far more complex than a series of macro-behaviors, rendering reliance on self-report data deficient for accurate measurement. Recent research demonstrates the potential of alternative methods for capturing team functioning, such as speech and physiological data (Chaffin et al., 2017; Murray & Oertel, 2018). Consequently, these methods are more suitable for capturing micro-behaviors: brief, often unconscious expressions that affect the extent to which an individual feels included by others around them (Paletz et al., 2013). Micro-behaviors can be further classified into microaggressions (i.e., subtle, negative exchanges; Keller & Galgay, 2010) or micro-affirmations (i.e., subtle, positive exchanges; Kyte et al. 2020), both of which influence team functioning. Due to the subtle nature of micro-behaviors, contextual factors have a significant impact when determining if it is aggressive or affirmative. Additionally, several iterations of microbehaviors can have lingering effects on team interactions. For example, the use of “mm-hmm” by a crew member can function as both a micro-affirmation and micro-aggression. Specifically, it can be indication of active listening (i.e., micro-affirmation) or as an expression of annoyance (i.e., aggression) depending on the context in which it occurs. Auditory features (e.g., tone, frequency) can help delineate between the two forms; however, the contextual factors (e.g., previous interactions between team members, crew demographics) add a layer of complexity that render auditory features alone as insufficient to capture micro-behaviors. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide a novel approach in which multi-modal data (i.e., auditory features and contextual features) are used in a random-forest model to better identify distinguishing characteristics between micro-affirmations and micro-aggressions. In turn, detected micro-behaviors are used to predict team performance, thereby demonstrating the value of capturing micro-behaviors as supplemental data to macro-behaviors.

Sydney R. Begerowski↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Documentarian’s Support Role: Recording Active Research for Outreach

The Space Crop Production Team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center recently conducted a campaign of parabolic flights to study the best techniques for harvesting and collecting microgreens in microgravity. During this process, the research team invited a student with scientific training to the field sites, contributing as the documentarian and aiding in recording audio visual data. The documentarian was tasked with photographing and filming the preparation of experiments for parabolic flight, hardware installation in the parabolic flight plane, the crew performing their experiments, and the harvesting hardware and samples post-flight. Through having a documentarian on the team during experiments, the processes of problem-solving, teamwork, and data collection were able to be captured. This allows for these methods to be reflected upon post-experiment as a means of improving the procedures for the future. Additionally, the picture and video evidence became data that were analyzed following the flight test. The Space Crop Production team benefited by having a documentarian present, as they were able to develop a 45 second social media video with the intent of being published through official NASA outlets. Longer videos for classroom use are also in work. In addition to outreach usage, the collection of footage and visual data the documentarian provides has the potential to be scientifically published both in video-based scientific journals, and as supplemental data in online journal publications. Capturing research in this manner helps share an unseen side of the research practices with a larger audience and increases the potential for scientific engagement and activation.

Christopher Bermudez↗
NASA NTRS2023

What’s That Supposed to Mean? Capturing Micro-Behaviors in Teams

Future long-duration space exploration (LDSE) crews will require extensive coordination, cooperation, and team functioning as they face a myriad of challenges rooted in both taskwork and teamwork (Bell et al., 2015; Landon et al., 2018). While exposed to extreme conditions, crew members must navigate living and working together in prolonged confinement. Moreover, astronaut teams are becoming increasingly diverse, introducing significant variability in team composition. This increasing diversity, alongside traditional constraints of LDSE, introduces additional challenges into effective team functioning. To date, most methods for capturing team functioning rely on self-report measures. Such measures are prone to several limitations, including but not limited to social desirability bias, halo effect, and leniency effects (Trull & Ebner-Priemer, 2013), which skew data and limit nuanced understandings of phenomena at play. Self-report measures broadly capture team functioning, lending the nature of such methods to identifying underlying “macro”-behaviors (i.e., behaviors that are long-standing and last over time). However, team functioning is far more complex than a series of macro-behaviors, rendering reliance on self-report data deficient for accurate measurement. Recent research demonstrates the potential of alternative methods for capturing team functioning, such as speech and physiological data (Chaffin et al., 2017; Murray & Oertel, 2018). Consequently, these methods are more suitable for capturing micro-behaviors: brief, often unconscious expressions that affect the extent to which an individual feels included by others around them (Paletz et al., 2013). Micro-behaviors can be further classified into micro-aggressions (i.e., subtle, negative exchanges; Keller & Galgay, 2010) or micro-affirmations (i.e., subtle, positive exchanges; Kyte et al. 2020), both of which influence team functioning. Due to the subtle nature of micro-behaviors, contextual factors have a significant impact when determining if it is aggressive or affirmative. Additionally, several iterations of micro-behaviors can have lingering effects on team interactions. For example, the use of “mm-hmm” by a crew member can function as both a micro-affirmation and micro-aggression. Specifically, it can be indication of active listening (i.e., micro-affirmation) or as an expression of annoyance (i.e., aggression) depending on the context in which it occurs. Auditory features (e.g., tone, frequency) can help delineate between the two forms; however, the contextual factors (e.g., previous interactions between team members, crew demographics) add a layer of complexity that render auditory features alone as insufficient to capture micro-behaviors. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide a novel approach in which multi-modal data (i.e., auditory features and contextual features) are used in a random-forest model to better identify distinguishing characteristics between micro-affirmations and micro-aggressions. In turn, detected micro-behaviors are used to predict team performance, thereby demonstrating the value of capturing micro-behaviors as supplemental data to macro-behaviors.

Sydney Begerowski↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Immersive Technologies for Human-in-the-Loop Lunar Surface Simulations

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, continually seeks innovative solutions to enhance its operations, particularly in the realms of testing, evaluation, and training for future missions. Immersive technologies, such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality have proven to be powerful tools for realistic, interactive, and engaging environments. This paper explores how the Simulation and Graphics Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) leverages immersive technology, modern commercial rendering engines, and physics-based systems simulations to develop human-in-the-loop systems for humanity’s return to the Moon through the Artemis program. When NASA returns to the Moon, astronauts will travel to the Moon’s South Pole where lighting conditions will cause a more complex operational environment. Human-in-the-loop testing plays a crucial role in NASA's mission planning, spacecraft and space systems development, and evaluation of operational scenarios. The development of immersive environments such as a lunar rover mockup at a video wall enables engineers and astronauts to simulate and experience mission scenarios, integrated spacecraft systems, and operational procedures in a relevant environment before deployment. By integrating realistic virtual environments, immersive technology allows for the visualization and interaction with virtual spacecraft models, mission landscapes, and complex operational tasks. This approach helps identify potential design flaws, operational challenges, and safety considerations. It also provides valuable insights for risk reduction and helps improve mission efficiency and effectiveness. With advanced motion tracking systems and custom virtual environments data can be gathered and evaluated to help NASA refine training protocols, develop specialized training procedures and optimize human-robotic interactions for future space missions. Furthermore, immersive technology offers opportunities for future training initiatives at NASA. The Virtual Reality Laboratory at JSC has pioneered training with Virtual Reality (VR) since the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions in the early 1990’s. Extended Reality (XR) simulations enable astronauts to rehearse complex spacewalks, spacecraft maneuvers, and extravehicular activities in a safe and controlled environment. By replicating the physical and cognitive challenges of space missions, immersive training experiences enhance astronauts' situational awareness, decision-making abilities, and adaptability to unexpected scenarios. Additionally, immersive technology facilitates collaborative training, allowing geographically dispersed crew and mission control personnel to engage in synchronized simulations, fostering teamwork and effective communication. The adoption of immersive technology in NASA's testing, evaluation, and future training programs has yielded significant benefits. By incorporating human-in-the-loop testing for studies involving Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA), surface mobility and landing systems, NASA can identify and mitigate risks, optimize operational procedures, and enhance mission success. Ultimately, immersive training experiences can empower astronauts to better navigate the complexities of space missions, ensuring their safety, productivity, and success in the dynamic and challenging environments they will experience at the Lunar South Pole.

Simulation Modeling Virtual Reality Immersive Tech↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Immersive Technologies for Human-in-the-Loop Lunar Surface Simulations

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, continually seeks innovative solutions to enhance its operations, particularly in the realms of testing, evaluation, and training for future missions. Immersive technologies, such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality have proven to be powerful tools for immersing users in realistic, interactive, and engaging environments. This paper explores how the Simulation and Graphics Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) leverages immersive technology, modern commercial rendering engines, and physics-based systems simulations to develop human-in-the-loop systems for humanity’s return to the Moon through the Artemis program. When NASA returns to the Moon, astronauts will travel to the Moon’s South Pole where lighting conditions will cause a more complex operational environment. Human-in-the-loop simulations play a crucial role in NASA’s mission planning, spacecraft and space systems development, and evaluation of operational scenarios. The development of immersive environments such as a lunar rover mockup at a video wall enables engineers and astronauts to simulate and experience mission scenarios, integrated spacecraft systems, and operational procedures in a relevant environment before deployment. By integrating realistic virtual environments, immersive technology allows for the visualization and interaction with virtual spacecraft models, mission landscapes, and complex operational tasks. This approach helps identify potential design flaws, operational challenges, and safety considerations. It also provides valuable insights for risk reduction and helps improve mission efficiency and effectiveness. With advanced motion tracking systems and custom virtual environments, data can be gathered and evaluated to help NASA refine training protocols, develop specialized training procedures, and optimize human-robotic interactions for future space missions. Furthermore, immersive technology offers opportunities for future training initiatives at NASA. The Virtual Reality Laboratory at JSC has pioneered training with Virtual Reality (VR) since the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions in the early 1990’s. Extended Reality (XR) simulations enable astronauts to rehearse complex spacewalks, spacecraft maneuvers, and extravehicular activities in a safe and controlled environment. By replicating the physical and cognitive challenges of space missions, immersive training experiences enhance astronauts’ situational awareness, decision-making abilities, and adaptability to unexpected scenarios. Additionally, immersive technology facilitates collaborative training, allowing geographically dispersed crew and mission control personnel to engage in synchronized simulations, fostering teamwork and effective communication. The adoption of immersive technology in NASA’s testing, evaluation, and future training programs has yielded significant benefits. By incorporating human-in-the-loop simulations for studies involving Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA), surface mobility and landing systems, NASA can identify and mitigate risks, optimize operational procedures, and enhance mission success. Ultimately, immersive simulation experiences can empower astronauts to better navigate the complexities of space missions, ensuring their safety, productivity, and success in the dynamic and challenging environments they will experience at the Lunar South Pole.

HITL↗