Human Performance of Novice Schedulers for Complex Spaceflight Operations Timelines

Abstract

Objective Investigate the effects of scheduling task complexity on human performance for novice schedulers creating spaceflight timelines. Background Future astronauts will be expected to self-schedule, yet will not be experts in creating timelines that meet the complex constraints inherent to spaceflight operations. Method Conducted a within-subjects experiment to evaluate scheduling task performance in terms of scheduling efficiency, effectiveness, workload, and situation awareness while manipulating scheduling task complexity according to the number of constraints and type of constraints. Results Each participant ( n = 15) completed a set of scheduling problems. Results showed main effects of the number of constraints and type of constraint on efficiency, effectiveness, and workload. Significant interactions were observed in situation awareness and workload for certain types of constraints. Results also suggest that a lower number of constraints may be manageable by novice schedulers when compared to scheduling activities without constraints. Conclusion Results suggest that novice schedulers' performance decreases with a high number of constraints, and future scheduling aids may need to target a specific type of constraint. Application Knowledge on the effect of scheduling task complexity will help design scheduling systems that will enable self-scheduling for future astronauts. It will also inform other domains that conduct complex scheduling, such as nursing and manufacturing.

Collaborative System Usability in Spaceflight Analog Environments through Remote Observations

“…Playbook has been deployed in various analogs to support mission operations. Specifically, the team has been evaluating Playbook for the task of self-scheduling [16]. Analog crews utilize Playbook to create and manage complex mission timelines, incorporating crewmate preferences (e.g., the flight engineer's preference for exercising after lunch) and meeting various constraints (e.g., task completion before 11:00 a.m.) [17].…”

The Next Giant Leap for Space Human Factors: The Opportunities

“…This is true for both intravehicular and extravehicular tasks. Human factors research can contribute by studying human performance and designing software aids enabling independent task execution while still operating within safety bounds (e.g., Marquez et al, 2021) as well as decision support systems that assist in monitoring and managing the various EVA subsystems (e.g., Miller, et al, 2017).…”

Human Factors in Spaceflight: New Progress on a Long Journey

“…The Schreckenghost and Glaros studies can be considered with other articles in this issue to inform crew scheduling. Notably, Marquez and colleagues (2023) assessed performance of novice schedulers when manipulating complex operational timelines, while Lungeanu and colleagues (2023) examine coordination and task management across the space-to-ground multi-team system. These analog studies examined individual and team functioning and performance during various situational and task constraints, and during communication delays with highly autonomous teams.…”