Human Factors Observations


Human Factors. What is it exactly? Human factors involves the study
of all aspects of the way humans relate to the world around them.
There have been both positive and negative impact that has been
observed related to the functioning of human-human and human-MDRS
systems.

The human-human model depicts what happens when humans interact with
each other in a restrictive regime (ie: Mars Desert Research Station).
The human-MDRS model shows how Crew members deal with their regime
that they live in and if they can work with the technology available at
the Mars Desert Research Station.

Human reliability is crucial when a martian crew is on the surface for
an extended period of time. With my experience, I have observed that
it is sometimes best to have a Crew that you have known and worked with
for an extended period of time who also shares the same goals of the
mission as you do. Age, physical health, state of mind, attitude and
emotions all play a crucial role in a mission. Each Crew member must
perform and contribute for the mission they signed on for. An
error-tolerant design must be implemented for the success of the
mission.

Even in an analogue mission, if the Crew members "die" because they
broke simulation it does not mean that the mission is over. You keep
going with the mission to ensure that you note the instance in which
the simulation was broken and learn from that instance and continue on
with the mission. There are never mistakes, only learning experiences.


The human-MDRS model would dictate that martian crew members would not
function well in their environment due to their martian habitat and its
technological difficulties that may arise related to the generator not
functioning normally or the inability to obtain enough potable water
due to the pipes freezing. Again, even in an analogue regime, only
Engineering has the capability to break simulation due to any
emergencies that may endanger the crew.