The performance of field scientists undertaking observations of early life fossils while in simulated space suit

Willson, D.; Rask, Jon; George, Simon C.; León, Pablo de; Bonaccorsi, R.; Blank, Jen; Slocombe, J.; Silburn, K.; Steele, Howard; Gargarno, M.

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2013.07.012

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The tasks were also required to be generic enough not to introduce unwanted psychological or physiological factors (fear, hesitation, frustration, unusual muscle strain). Psychological pressure caused by a combination of (a) exploring unfamiliar terrain, (b) working against time pressure, and (c) knowledge of potential fatal consequences of accidents will influence the performance of future astronauts on Mars (Willson et al, 2014). Such aspects were disregarded to focus on the physical limitations introduced by operating in a space suit simulator.…”

Section: Selection Of Test Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human tasks during martian surface sojourns will include the setup, operation, maintenance, and repair of infrastructure and science equipment and the access and study of challenging terrain and crew or hardware contingency situations (Fullerton, 2000;Willson et al, 2014). Our candidate test activities reflected these tasks on a small scale and were required to be reproducible, independent from each other, and involve main aspects of space suit mobility: arm, leg, head, hand, and torso motions, including flexion, abduction, rotation, and inversion .…”

Section: Selection Of Test Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Space suit mobility has already been modeled (Schmidt, 2001;Schmidt et al, 2001;Frazer et al, 2002). Also, the performance difference between a field scientist and a nonfield scientist, including limitations on field observation skills while wearing a space suit, has been studied by Willson et al (2014). Traverse planning and human field work on different terrain types (topography and morphology) have been analyzed by Kereszturi (2011).…”

Section: Introduction and Experiments Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Suited versus Unsuited Analog Astronaut Performance Using the Aouda.X Space Suit Simulator: The DELTA Experiment of MARS2013

2015

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Space suit simulators are used for extravehicular activities (EVAs) during Mars analog missions. Flight planning and EVA productivity require accurate time estimates of activities to be performed with such simulators, such as experiment execution or traverse walking. We present a benchmarking methodology for the Aouda.X space suit simulator of the Austrian Space Forum. By measuring and comparing the times needed to perform a set of 10 test activities with and without Aouda.X, an average time delay was derived in the form of a multiplicative factor. This statistical value (a second-over-second time ratio) is 1.30 and shows that operations in Aouda.X take on average a third longer than the same operations without the suit. We also show that activities predominantly requiring fine motor skills are associated with larger time delays (between 1.17 and 1.59) than those requiring short-distance locomotion or short-term muscle strain (between 1.10 and 1.16). The results of the DELTA experiment performed during the MARS2013 field mission increase analog mission planning reliability and thus EVA efficiency and productivity when using Aouda.X.

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Section: Selection Of Test Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Selection Of Test Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction and Experiments Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Suited versus Unsuited Analog Astronaut Performance Using the Aouda.X Space Suit Simulator: The DELTA Experiment of MARS2013

2015

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“…Interestingly, all military studies in the present review investigated body armour [5,14,[19][20][21] and all uniforms were specific to firefighting [12], while gloves were widely assessed in a healthcare context (vinyl exam gloves [30,34] or latex surgical gloves) [25,30]; for manufacturing and assembly (commercially available work gloves) [32]; and within the aerospace industry (for integration with spacesuits) [28,29]. No studies investigating boots [64,65] or protective eyewear [66,67] met the inclusion criteria for the present study, primarily due to not assessing fit [65,[68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85] or not evaluating the effect of fit on at least one measure of performance (often studies instead measured pain or injury prevalence) [67,[86][87][88][89][90][91][92]…”

Section: Personal Protective Equipment (Ppe)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the fit of personal protective equipment affect functional performance? A systematic review across occupational domains

et al. 2022

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Objective To explore the effect of personal protective equipment (PPE) fit on functional performance across a range of occupational domains. Background PPE introduces an ergonomic, human systems integration, and mass burden to the wearer, and these factors are thought to be amplified if PPE is ill-fitting. However, few studies have considered the role of fit (static, dynamic, and cognitive) when evaluating PPE-related performance detriments in occupational settings. Method A systematic literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies, which were then critically appraised based on methodological quality and collated to compare key findings and present evidence-based recommendations for future research directions across a range of occupational domains. Results 16 published studies met the inclusion criteria, 88% of which found that the fit of PPE had a statistically significant effect on occupational performance. Poorly sized PPE resulted in slower or increased reaction time; decreased range of motion or mobility; decreased endurance or tolerance; decreased pulmonary function; and altered muscle activation. Limited research met the inclusion criteria and those that did had risks of bias in methodology quality. Conclusion Future research evaluating the effect of PPE on performance in occupational settings should aim to recruit a more representative population; consider sex as a covariate; quantify and evaluate PPE fit and performance when integrated with all relevant equipment items; include outcome measures related to all three categories of fit (static, dynamic, cognitive); and assess performance of operationally relevant tasks.

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“… Meyer et al, 2019 ). Additionally, contamination restrictions during EVAwill narrow the design of space suit systems ( Willson et al, 2014 ). Attempts to dictate planetary protection protocols without fully understanding viral dispersal and survivability will potentially result in overly restrictive constraints that ultimately hinder scientific discovery or alternatively inadequate protocols that do not achieve proper containment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrovirology: how viruses enhance our understanding of life in the Universe

Trubl

Stedman

Bywaters

et al. 2023

International Journal of Astrobiology

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Viruses are the most numerically abundant biological entities on Earth. As ubiquitous replicators of molecular information and agents of community change, viruses have potent effects on the life on Earth, and may play a critical role in human spaceflight, for life-detection missions to other planetary bodies and planetary protection. However, major knowledge gaps constrain our understanding of the Earth's virosphere: (1) the role viruses play in biogeochemical cycles, (2) the origin(s) of viruses and (3) the involvement of viruses in the evolution, distribution and persistence of life. As viruses are the only replicators that span all known types of nucleic acids, an expanded experimental and theoretical toolbox built for Earth's viruses will be pivotal for detecting and understanding life on Earth and beyond. Only by filling in these knowledge and technical gaps we will obtain an inclusive assessment of how to distinguish and detect life on other planetary surfaces. Meanwhile, space exploration requires life-support systems for the needs of humans, plants and their microbial inhabitants. Viral effects on microbes and plants are essential for Earth's biosphere and human health, but virus–host interactions in spaceflight are poorly understood. Viral relationships with their hosts respond to environmental changes in complex ways which are difficult to predict by extrapolating from Earth-based proxies. These relationships should be studied in space to fully understand how spaceflight will modulate viral impacts on human health and life-support systems, including microbiomes. In this review, we address key questions that must be examined to incorporate viruses into Earth system models, life-support systems and life detection. Tackling these questions will benefit our efforts to develop planetary protection protocols and further our understanding of viruses in astrobiology.

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The performance of field scientists undertaking observations of early life fossils while in simulated space suit

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Suited versus Unsuited Analog Astronaut Performance Using the Aouda.X Space Suit Simulator: The DELTA Experiment of MARS2013

Suited versus Unsuited Analog Astronaut Performance Using the Aouda.X Space Suit Simulator: The DELTA Experiment of MARS2013

Does the fit of personal protective equipment affect functional performance? A systematic review across occupational domains

Astrovirology: how viruses enhance our understanding of life in the Universe

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