Location
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Atlantis/ Discovery Rooms
Start Date
28-4-1994 2:00 PM
End Date
28-4-1994 5:00 PM
Description
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the environment and activities to the capabilities, dimensions, and needs of people. Ergonomic knowledge and principles are applied to adapt working conditions to the physical, psychological, and social nature of the person. There have been numerous launch operations studies performed concerning processing operations at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). These studies have not, to a significant extent, considered ergonomic principles in launch vehicle design and processing as a means for achieving the goals of operational efficiency. Many launch vehicle design and processing goals or objectives have been proposed to increase the operational efficiency of current systems, or to improve the operational efficiency of future systems over that experienced by current systems. Future proposed design or processing objectives may not take ergonomic principles and guidelines into consideration. A few of the launch vehicle design or processing objectives currently under consideration and their associated concerns, from an ergonomic aspect, are:
• Paperless work documentation system and health related concerns with visual display terminal (VDT) and personal computer (PC) use.
• Automated vehicle health management and built-in test equipment (BITE) causing troubles with human reliability and cognition associated with human-machine systems.
• Hazardous operations scheduled for third-shift and problems associated with night-worker health.
This examinational paper is intended to inform the reader on some of the ergonomic principles that should be considered in the design and processing of launch vehicles for operational efficiency.
Paper Session III-A - Ergonomic Considerations in Launch Vehicle Design and Processing for Operational Efficiency
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Atlantis/ Discovery Rooms
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the environment and activities to the capabilities, dimensions, and needs of people. Ergonomic knowledge and principles are applied to adapt working conditions to the physical, psychological, and social nature of the person. There have been numerous launch operations studies performed concerning processing operations at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). These studies have not, to a significant extent, considered ergonomic principles in launch vehicle design and processing as a means for achieving the goals of operational efficiency. Many launch vehicle design and processing goals or objectives have been proposed to increase the operational efficiency of current systems, or to improve the operational efficiency of future systems over that experienced by current systems. Future proposed design or processing objectives may not take ergonomic principles and guidelines into consideration. A few of the launch vehicle design or processing objectives currently under consideration and their associated concerns, from an ergonomic aspect, are:
• Paperless work documentation system and health related concerns with visual display terminal (VDT) and personal computer (PC) use.
• Automated vehicle health management and built-in test equipment (BITE) causing troubles with human reliability and cognition associated with human-machine systems.
• Hazardous operations scheduled for third-shift and problems associated with night-worker health.
This examinational paper is intended to inform the reader on some of the ergonomic principles that should be considered in the design and processing of launch vehicles for operational efficiency.
Comments
Research
Session Chairman: Bruce E. Melnick, Director of Process Improvement Technology, Lockheed Space Operations Company, Kennedy Space Center
Session Organizer: Jennifer K. Lewis, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, Kennedy Space Center