Human Spaceflight Operations: Lessons Learned from 60 Years in Space

by Gregory Errol Chamitoff (Contributor), Srinivas Rao Vadali (Contributor)

Unknown Binding

Published February 1, 2021

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I really did read an entire textbook for engineering students on lessons learned from 60 years in human spaceflight operations. My friend Greg Chamitoff, an astronaut who spent 15 years at NASA and made two flights to the International Space Station, has been teaching a class on human spaceflight operations for several years to students at Texas A&M University. He and another Texas A&M professor, Srinivas Vadali, have now compiled a series of authors from NASA who have explained what the space agency has learned in 60 years of flying humans in space. The chapters cover topics ranging from thermal control of space vehicles, to computer control, to life support systems, to robotic arm operations, to extravehicular activities, to medical issues, to mission planning. Although many textbooks have already been written on designing space missions, the idea here is to explain what NASA has learned in operating missions so as to reinforce the point that designers for future missions should take into consideration all the lessons learned from operations. For instance, Dr. Chamitoff cites lessons learned from his astronaut experience such as the need for refresher training just before completing a task, unambiguous failure indications for crews, private sleeping quarters allowing for personal space, and designing bags specifically for microgravity so that objects do not bounce out.

Throughout the text, the authors detail lessons such as these while also explaining how these lessons will aid the operation of future missions that travel beyond low Earth orbit. When humans travel to Mars, for instance, years of experience from the ISS about how to keep crews healthy and comfortable in microgravity will be helpful. But on the other hand, as the authors point out, Mars crews will not be able to have live conversations with Mission Control and will need more autonomy in their operations. One gains the sense throughout the book that humanity's experience base in spaceflight is more comprehensive than ever before and that the international community is thus better equipped than ever before to sending humans beyond low Earth orbit, for the first time since Apollo ended in 1972.

Although it took me a very long time to read each page and make my way through all 600+ pages in this book, I still made the effort. I was also pleased that Dr. Chamitoff allowed me to contribute to the last chapter, on astronaut operations. Although I am not an engineer, I have done a great deal of research on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo era of spaceflight and hopefully my reflections on those earlier years were worthwhile to go along with Dr. Chamitoff's reflections on the Space Shuttle/International Space Station era.