DESIGN AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ANALOG PLANETARY HABITAT FACILITY TO SERVE AS A BASIS FOR HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACE STUDIES ALFA PROJECT-STRA TEGY FOR DESIGN AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ANALOG PLANETARY HABITA T FACILITY TO SER VE AS A BASIS FOR EXTREME ENVIRONMENT HUMAN SYSTEM INTEGRA TION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

摘要

Expanding human presence beyond low-earth-orbit is an essential step in the development of human civilization on Earth, utilization of resources, and understanding of the solar system. Inevitably, robotic systems will lay the foundation of these human tended mission. As such, while several analog crewed habitat studies are being conducted across North America, Antarctica and Europe, a facility located in the high desert of the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County offers unique research opportunities. As per national space policy (Global Exploration Roadmap), the next anticipated manned deep space mission will be to an asteroid followed by Moon and Mars. The use of robotic systems while training for hostile environments with variable planetary conditions will require engineers and programmers within proximity of their systems. Planetary habitats and robotic test site in the deserted terrain north of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory will ultimately operate as a base for crewed analog habitat studies; studies will be conducted using JPL or other NASA and commercially developed mission hardware. The ALFA site will provide different limited fidelity analog base systems that will be utilized according scope and Technology Readiness Levels of tested operations, Human-In-The-Loop tests and hardware demonstration, verification and tests. Among other pieces of technology, hardware such as rovers, robots, mining devices, geologic sampling tools, spacesuits, deployable structures, and planetary surveillance systems will be used during the studies.. Given its proximity to JPL and terrain resemblance to proposed human spaceflight mission targets, it enables access for experts both physically and remotely. These conditions make it ideal for testing and verification of the human-system integration via the VISIONA (Virtual In Situ and Operations Node/Analogue). The virtual reality devices will be used for Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) preparation and mission planning as well as research, remote data collection, and analysis. These habitat research facilities will focus on sustaining metabolic the needs of the crew, in addition to power and environmental control requirements. Semi-closed loop life support systems (LSS) will be employed with an emphasis on upgrade possibilities. The habitat will also be used to study microbial and plant behavior in closed environments with grown food and recycled water used in crew's diet. Waste will be processed using low energy, semi-closed loop techniques. Mission planners will study the psychological implications of long duration space missions analyzing sleep patterns,stress cycles, and crew behavior in isolated environments. The crew will conduct specific tasks with imbedded flight control teams providing communications, operations and high fidelity simulations. Ground operations and mission planning will be studied simultaneously in close proximity. The entire system will be designed for autonomy minimizing interference and maximizing the effects of isolation. An optimized human-system environment will improve mission success rates and help prepare a new generation of space-farers for the long journey beyond low earth orbit.