Design Focus
Although our research findings revealed many potential design opportunities, we chose to focus on a compelling user need exposed by planning problems one and five: the need for more flexible plans tailored to the unique needs of astronauts, who often dynamically re-plan in the face of unforeseen circumstances from complex and time-constrained plans.
To develop a tool specifically optimized for astronauts executing off the plan, we drew inspiration from NASA’s Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) project, which investigates planetary surface operation concepts, including manned surface rovers and planetary science. Specifically, our design process and resulting prototype focused on supporting astronauts performing geological science on planetary surfaces.
