An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Conceptual Design of Inhabited Space Systems [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The success of manned space exploration missions depends on the sustained performance of human crews under conditions of long-term isolation, confinement and risk. Designing systems for such missions therefore poses a considerable challenge to the traditional, engineering-oriented design approach. This book describes a new, interdisciplinary approach that was developed to improve the integration of crews into inhabited space systems. The approach is based on aerospace systems engineering methodology with key elements from terrestrial architectural practice added. Several examples are given to demonstrate the validity of this truly interdisciplinary approach.

This book describes a ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach to the conceptual design of inhabited systems. It is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in integrating humans and technology in environments characterized by confinement, isolation and a high degree of risk. By incorporating time-tested elements of architectural practice into the systems engineering process, the new approach provides a creative solution to one of the most difficult challenges of modern engineering.

The conceptual design (project phase 0/A) of systems for long-duration manned space missions poses a significant challenge to the traditional design approach used for robotic or short-duration missions. Yet the success of planned expeditions to Mars and beyond depends on the ability of system designers to create an overall concept that maximizes crew efficiency and minimizes cost as well as the risk of catastrophic failure, while at the same time integrating a wide array of technological, crew-related and political boundary conditions.

The interdisciplinary approach presented in this book proposes putting the focus on the most efficient integration of the crew into a space system as one solution to this conceptual design problem. Thus, human-rated space structures - be they inhabited orbital or planetary stations, or piloted interplanetary transfer vehicles - are treated by the designers not as "machinery-with-attached-crew" like earlier spacecraft, but primarily as habitats, in order to assure mission success under conditions of long-term isolation, confinement and risk.

The proposed approach is based on space systems engineering methodology and associated software tools, with key elements from terrestrial architectural practice added. It also provides software specifically developed for the analysis of life support systems - a crucial component of human-rated space systems - during the early phase of conceptual design. Several examples are given to demonstrate the validity of this truly interdisciplinary approach.

Jan Osburg is an aerospace engineer specializing in manned space flight systems and human-system integration. He has a doctoral degree from the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and a Masters degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta (USA). An experienced researcher and lecturer, he has also directed international, interdisciplinary space station design workshops at the University of Stuttgart, the International Space University, and the European Space Agency. As executive officer, chief engineer and medic on board the Mars Desert Research Station, a Mars-analog simulation facility, he has gained extensive first-hand field experience with space flight crew integration issues. Jan Osburg grew up in Germany and now lives in the United States of America.