A Lunar Landing Research Vehicle being tested in 1964. This simulator recreated the low gravity conditions of landing on the Moon, and was used to train Apollo astronauts.
ESA’s new simulator, part of the ‘Human-In-the-Loop’ flight vehicle Engineering study, doesn’t leave the ground or rely on rockets – it’s built onto a large-scale robotic arm, which is able to move and shift at extreme angles to simulate the effects of the commands the astronaut gives the computer. Based at the German Aerospace Center , theESA astronaut Robert Vittori, who has been to space three times before, put the simulator through its paces.
The philosophy of ESA’s Human-In-the-Loop program is that hardware engineering and software design choices for spacecraft ought to be made in cooperation with the humans who will be flying the machines. The human-machine interfaces need to be user-friendly and intuitive, so that at critical moments, like landing on the Moon, there are no surprise design flaws or pilot confusion over the controls.
A similar philosophy enabled the success of the early days of spaceflight, when the Mercury astronauts worked closely with the engineering teams building the capsules and systems. Astronaut Wally Schirra, for example, specialized in life support systems and space suit development, while his colleague Scott Carpenter worked with the team building navigational equipment. In the present day, ESA is taking this philosophy to the next level.
ESA has been heavily involved in the Artemis program since the beginning. It designed and built the service module of the Orion capsule, which will take astronauts to lunar orbit, working closely with NASA and other international partners. ESA astronauts will be on board at least three of the Artemis missions to the planned Lunar Gateway space station in the coming decade.