Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
Monday, October 1, 2007 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
"Bold Endeavors: Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration"
ABSTRACT -- Comparisons often are made between expeditions of the past and future space exploration. From an engineering perspective, the differences between past and future expeditions are considerable. Spacecraft are far more complex than the ships in which the explorers of Earth sailed. The technological differences are enormous, but from a behavioral perspective, are the differences really that great between confinement in a small wooden ship locked in the polar ice cap and confinement in a small high-technology ship hurtling through interplanetary space? The psychological differences probably are few. This presentation discusses some of the most salient behavioral, technical, and procedural lessons from previous expeditions that can be applied to facilitate the human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
SPEAKER -- Jack Stuster is Vice President and Principal Scientist of Anacapa Sciences, Inc., a human factors and applied behavioral sciences research firm located in Santa Barbara, California. From the University of California, Santa Barbara, he received a bachelor's degree in experimental psychology, as well as master's and doctoral degrees in anthropology.
Dr. Stuster is a Certified Professional Ergonomist, specializing in human performance in extreme environments. Military groups he has studied include bomb squads and Navy SEALS. He has also accompanied special operations units in the field. He has directed simulations of personnel isolated for long periods in remote locations.
Dr. Stuster began work with NASA in 1982, studying space shuttle refurbishment procedures. He has since written recommendations for long-duration space missions, including on the International Space Station (ISS). These recommendations are based on his studies of groups who have spent long periods in isolated locations, including space station astronauts and crews in Antarctica and on small islands.
Dr. Stuster is a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Society for Appllied Antrhopology, and the Borneo Research Society. He serves on a special committee of the National Academies of Science, and was a member of recently-closed NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts.
Colloquium Committee Sponsor: Eugene Waluschka
Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov