Enhancement of Computer Based Training for Operations in Harsh Lighting Conditions In Space

The lighting conditions under which astronauts conduct on-orbit tasks can be very extreme. Because the sun rises and sets every 45 minutes on average, operations in space must deal with very dynamic lighting, high contrast, and low light conditions for both direct and indirect viewing. Current computer based training for these operations do not have these harsh lighting conditions.

The goal of this project was to investigate and measure the effects of computer aided training enhanced with static shadows, dynamic shadows and dynamic overlays to improve crew performance of Space Station tasks.

Results from the project showed that under some conditions, error was reduced with the use of overlays. Consistent gender effects were noted in both training and testing performance. Use of overlays resulted in increased confidence in participants.