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Active TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 6)
NASA’s current mission-operations paradigm is one of near-complete real-time dependence on a large ground team to manage the combined state of the mission, vehicle, and crew. This approach must change to address challenges associated with missions beyond low Earth orbit, including infrequent resupply, reduced ability to evacuate, and delayed communications that prohibit real-time operational support. While many risks are associated with Earth-independent operations, one particular concern is ensuring that the crew will have adequate onboard support to respond to urgent problems when communication with the ground is delayed or intermittent.
Key resources that enable the ground team to problem solve quickly and effectively are the extraordinary expertise and experience it possesses and the extensive amount of data available on the ground. Enabling the onboard crew-system team to perform tasks traditionally done by the ground requires defining the information models that need to be available onboard and developing information presentation that is understandable and actionable by a small crew. It is not feasible nor useful to put all these data onboard as crews become more Earth independent. Moreover, while access is necessary, it alone is insufficient. Information will need to be compiled, refined, and represented appropriately to support the crew’s reduced attention and expertise. The critical challenge for this portfolio is presenting the crew with sufficient, contextualized data to maintain awareness, make decisions, and perform tasks.
To address this challenge, the Crew Interaction portfolio is utilizing an iterative design approach to identify and prototype the data, functionality, and information representation needed for crews to successfully respond to anomalies and developing the capabilities needed for ongoing assessment/validation of EIO solutions in realistic problem-solving scenarios with humans-in-the-loop. Current CI projects include CI3 Situational Awareness Prototoype, CI4 Procedure Execution Prototype, and CI5 Human-in-the-Loop Testing and Demonstration. By iteratively prototyping and testing crew data representation with SMEs (e.g., FOD) and representative users (crew), Crew Interaction is driving the technical functionality that must be developed by other portfolios in EIO.
Future Mars Mission: This technology is critical to enabling human missions to Mars, when ~44 minutes round-trip communication delays preclude real-time ground support.
Currently Funded NASA Missions: Technology developed for this project has the potential to improve Artemis crew members’ ability to maintain situational awareness and execute procedures, especially given reduced ability to monitor crew action in real-time with expected lunar latencies. Technologies also have the potential to inform/improve tools used by ground teams for International Space Station (ISS) and Artemis missions. Human-in-the-loop simulation capabilities developed may be relevant for testing ISS and Artemis mission technologies.
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This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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