Development of an integrated simulation platform for real-time task performance assessment

A re-configurable, portable test station was developed for integrating and testing real-time performance metrics for continuously assessing operator effectiveness in operationally-relevant spaceflight piloting tasks. The test station includes a single computer for hosting the vehicle simulation, rendering both graphical flight displays and a 3-D out-the-window view, and computing the performance metrics in real-time. The pilot interacts with the simulation using four displays (two piloting displays, one out-the-window display, and a mission summary display), a rotational hand controller, a translational hand controller, and a microphone. A fifth display provides a system status / engineering view for the experimenter. A key component of the simulation station is the real-time metrics engine and algorithms, which estimates pilot workload, situation awareness, and flight performance without interfering with the piloting task, or adding equipment or infrastructure to the flight deck. Workload and flight performance are estimated based on an analysis of the vehicle state (e.g., attitude, altitude, % fuel) and the pilot commands (e.g., hand controller movement), whereas situation awareness is estimated based on the comparison of the actual vehicle state and that spoken (and converted to text through an automatic speech recognition algorithm) by the flying pilot. This real-time simulation station development is discussed in the context of four operationally-relevant spaceflight tasks: piloted lunar landing, Orion/MPCV docking operations with the International Space Station (ISS), and manual control of the spacewalking Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) jet pack near the ISS.