In June 2023, a few of my colleagues and I got invited to present our recent research papers at the SpaceCHI conference organized by the MIT Media Lab. Attending this conference offered us a unique opportunity to share our work with leading researchers in the field, receive valuable feedback, and establish new collaborations.
Objectives
We presented two papers. Leonie Bensch, my colleague from the DLR, first-authored and presented a novel design approach for Augmented Reality HUD solutions for Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). I authored and presented a paper on Luna, a novel physical Lunar testbed, which we argue will play a crucial role in democratizing the design of future space systems.
What I did
Apart from conducting research into these topics and writing up our findings in the form of a paper, thanks to a generous sponsorship by the European Astronaut Center, I was also able to travel to Cambridge, MA to present my work in person.
Workflow
The paper I presented is titled Out of this World Design: Bridging the Gap between Space Systems Engineering and Participatory Design Practices. Its main underlying idea is that the design of novel space systems is typically intertwined with experimental deployments in analogue environments, such as underwater test sites, or in expensive facilities. Currently, only a handful of organizations in the world have the resources to undertake such design studies regularly, contributing to the relatively non-inclusive nature of the space industry.
We argue that Virtual and Mixed Reality might, in theory, help alleviate this situation by simulating design concepts and facilitating their assessment in a manner that is comparatively accessible and affordable. Nevertheless, the limitations of studying such concepts virtually are still poorly understood.
ESA, in collaboration with the DLR, are currently in the process of constructing the LUNA facility – an analogue testbed designed to replicate some of the conditions associated with lunar surface operations. Our paper proposes that LUNA will enable us to create and assess identical scenarios in both the real and the virtual space, all under controlled research conditions. This, in turn, will enable us to assess the advantages and disadvantages of each design method, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
We believe such a comparative study will lead to a better understanding of the extent to which physical infrastructure is needed to achieve a sufficient degree of research validity, and conversely we shall also learn where virtual elements might
be sufficient. In doing so, we aspire to establish a methodological foundation for the use of VR and XR technologies in space systems design. Ultimately, we believe this will help make relevant design activities more inclusive and contribute to a much needed democratization of space systems engineering.
