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Aerospace human factors captures principles and findings of human behavior and performance as they apply in the aeronautics and the space environments. While there is a significant and growing body of aeronautical human factors data, space human factors remains limited. Fortunately, the similarities between spaceflight and airflight provide space planners with a valuable means of anticipating human-based issues, of leveraging from aeronautical human factors research and experience and of shortcutting what would otherwise be a long learning curve. This paper considers some of the areas where human factors research has made, or is making, significant impact on the conduct of airflight and where, with limited additional work, spaceflight could be brought to a similar level of understanding.

The relative importance of life sciences in spaceflight depends on the nature of the: mission. For brief missions to low earth orbit, such as Shuttle flights, issues involving health concerns, life support, or crew factors present fewer challenges than would longer flights, e.g., those planned for Space Station. For missions of exploration, such as a Mars expedition, the life sciences are not only important to the safety and success of the mission, they are on the critical path to being able to embark on the mission at all. This paper presents a brief history of the role of life sciences in the space program and describes the characteristics of exploration missions that impact life sciences requirements. It concludes by outlining what needs to be done if the very demanding life sciences requirements of exploration missions are to be supported.

Human factors addresses humans in their active and interactive capacities. The importance of human factors has risen sharply with the increased activity and responsibility of space crews and will culminate with missions of exploration. Human factors requirements are highly dependent on the characteristics and conditions of the mission, and an explication of human factors requirements must begin with a detailed mission analysis. A framework in which human factors issues could be considered is outlined, and candidate areas for early investigation are proposed. Approaches needed to transition research results to mission planners and implementers are discussed.