Under Water to Outer Space: Augmented Reality for Astronauts and Beyond

Area of Science:

• Space exploration technology
• Human-computer interaction
• Astronaut training and procedures

Background:

• Astronauts require efficient and safe methods for complex procedures.
• Undersea research facilities like Aquarius serve as analogs for space missions.
• Augmented reality (AR) offers potential for procedural enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an AR application (ProtoSpace) for astronaut procedures.
• To assess AR's impact on procedure execution speed, intuitiveness, and safety.
• To document lessons learned and future research directions for AR in space missions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Aquarius undersea research facility as an analog environment.
• Deployed the ProtoSpace AR application developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Conducted a complex procedure across four task areas during a June 2019 mission.

Main Results:

• Successful execution of a complex, multi-area procedure using AR.
• Demonstrated potential for AR to improve procedure execution.
• Collected data on the usability and effectiveness of the AR system.

Conclusions:

• AR technology, exemplified by ProtoSpace, can significantly enhance astronaut procedural capabilities.
• The Aquarius analog environment proved valuable for testing AR systems.
• Further development and testing are needed to fully integrate AR into space missions.