Task Human Performance Data Project (Completed)
Short Title: Human Performance Data Project
Responsible HRP Element: Space Human Factors and Habitability
Collaborating Org(s):
Funding Status: Completed - Task completed and produced a deliverable
Procurement Mechanism(s):

The objective of the Human Performance Data Project (HPDP) is to define, identify, store, and make available for use data associated with human performance in human spaceflight or supporting ground operations.  The goals include ensuring that data needed to address HRP risks and gaps are identified, and those that can affect human performance are defined, collected, and maintained in a repository.  This would enable operational, developmental and research teams to improve human performance in spaceflight activities.

In order to provide more spaceflight evidence for the Evidence Reports, a qualitative approach in determining how NASA operational organizations evaluate human performance will be pursued with the following steps:

  1. Review the current data associated with human performance in human spaceflight, interview experts such as trainers, flight controllers, and flight surgeons to assess the current state of metrics used to assess astronaut performance.
  2. Categorize/classify relevant human spaceflight activities.
  3. Assess the interpretation and consequences of the parameters upon performance, and the range and consequences of associated performance-related outcomes.
  4. Document the data as it relates to Space Human Factors Engineering risks and gaps.


Risk Mitigation/Partial Mitigation: This task will partially mitigate the Risk of Inadequate Critical Task Design by identifying spaceflight evidence for those higher priority tasks resulting in performance issues, and distributing that evidence to all risk custodians.

Completion Update: The HPDP resulted in the following deliverables:

  1. A repository of performance metrics, existing databases, types of data stored, points of contact (POCs), intended audiences, and required permissions or approvals for access

    1. Includes existing and easily-derived operational metrics

      1. High volume list of all potential data and metrics available that might possibly benefit HRP researchers

    2. Identification and proposal of research focused metrics

      1. Identify novel operational risks to crew task performance and countermeasures for each risk

      2. Propose metrics to evaluate the countermeasure effectiveness

      3. Focuses more on the question:  If we were to collect the metrics we want, what would they be?

  2. Gap analysis between the current operational metrics and the proposed research focused metrics

    1. Identifies a full list of relevant human performance metrics for research, and assesses current state and discuss future opportunities for implementation

  3. Final report on the project detailing the sources of data used, SMEs interviewed, locations where metrics are currently stored, resources that provide context and scoping information for identification of potential issues, discussion of the gap analysis, lessons learned, and recommendations for future work.

  4. This task contributed to the Path to Risk Reduction for the Risk of Inadequate Mission, Process, and Task Design through identification of metrics that can be used to assess human performance, location of the sources of such data, and information regarding the access, interpretation, and analysis of such data.