title: The Habitability Mini-Laboratory: testing the tools of space habitat architecture.
abstract: Living in the closed, confined environment of a space station for a long period and under microgravity conditions, crew members can encounter problems of a physiological and also a psychological nature. The architecture of their living quarters can greatly influence their well-being and their efficiency. Simulation of a proposed architecture and of human movement within that architecture is the most effective way to evaluate the design. Two simulation tools, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software tools and a mock-up on a smaller scale, were used to 'construct' several proposed architectures. Those models were then evaluated to determine the investigation methods that should be used in future architectural development projects.
authors.affiliation: Mechanical Systems Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novara
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004779:Environment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D005060:Europe; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D012984:Software; D013026:Space Flight / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018561:Space Simulation; D018531:Spacecraft / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014743:Videotape Recording; D014893:Weightlessness