Preparing for the High Frontier The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era (2011) / Chapter Skim
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3 Post-Shuttle Spaceflight Crew Training Resources: Ground-Based Facilities and T-38N Talon Aircraft
3 Post-Shuttle Spaceflight Crew Training Resources: Ground-Based Facilities and T-38N Talon Aircraft
Pages 65-88
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From page 65... ...
certification for transportation to and from the ISS. To promote safety and mission success and to avoid duplication and parallel training establishments among financially constrained commercial firms, it may be appropriate to consider the Astronaut Office and Astronaut Corps as a national asset that must be capable of supporting additional staffing requirements to assist such firms.
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From page 66... ...
of the Astronaut Corps must possess a flexible, broad base of skills, including EVA, robotics, payload operations, in-flight maintenance, and potential emergency responses. The ISS is a large, complex orbiting laboratory facility that has many systems and tasks (Figure 3.1)
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From page 67... ...
Space Station Training Facility Remains operational; supports ISS training Space Station Mockup Training Remains operational; supports ISS Facility training Part Task Trainer Remains operational; supports ISS training Full Fuselage Trainer Decommission Seattle Museum of Flight Crew Compartment Trainer (2) Decommission 1 to Air Force Museum 1 to Smithsonian Institution Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Remains operational; supports ISS training
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. The committee queried NASA regarding studies of high-fidelity simulators to meet the Missions Operations Directorate or Flight Crew Operations Directorate crew training requirements.
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69 POST-SHUTTLE SPACEFLIGHT CREW TRAINING RESOURCES FIGURE 3.2 Astronaut training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. SOURCE: Courtesy of NASA.
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, Version 7.0 Baseline, SSP 50170, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex., March 2010; NASA Flight Crew Operations Directorate, Flight Crew Operations Space Flight Preparation Plan, CA-QMS-001, Revision F, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex., August 2010; P.A. Whitson, NASA Astronaut Office, "Presentation to the NRC Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations," presentation to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations, January 6, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2011, pp.
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One role is to enable the Astronaut Office to recruit and maintain military test pilots for the Astronaut Corps. Military test pilots who are selected by the Department of Defense (DOD)
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72 PREPARING FOR THE HIGH FRONTIER FIGURE 3.6 Astronaut Ellen Ocha simulates an emergency egress procedure at Johnson Space Center's Mockup and Integra tion Laboratory. SOURCE: Courtesy of NASA; GPN-2000-001068, available at http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/.
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From page 73... ...
If the high-performance proficiency jet training is eliminated, there is the possibility that the DOD will no longer provide military astronauts with flight test expertise, or the pool of exceptionally qualified pilots may decrease when they recognize that they may not have the opportunity to maintain flight proficiency; this could affect their military flight currency requirements, later promotions, and reintegration into their parent service. Military test pilots will remain an important component of the Astronaut Corps, and the Astronaut Office has indicated that continuing to recruit them has high priority after the retirement of the space shuttle so that it can take advantage of their expertise in the operation of complex equipment in a high-stress and dangerous environment.
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From page 74... ...
The requirements for spaceflight readiness training are outlined in the Astronaut T-38 Space Flight Readiness Training Syllabus.6 In particular, the committee notes that the Mission Specialist Annual Qualification Check listed in the syllabus indicates the broad range of activities that non-pilots are required to train for with the admonition to "RECOGNIZE ANY UNSAFE SITUATION/CONDITION!
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From page 75... ...
Detailing its resources available for knowledge, skills, cognitive, and rapid response training, NASA asserts that only a high-performance aircraft directly addresses the desired traits to provide high confidence in ensuring safety and mission success. As Table 3.2 indicates, the T-38N is currently the only Astronaut Corps training resource that combines the categories of skills, cognitive control, and rapid response training essential for an ISS emergency -- for example, Soyuz ascent and entry, rendezvous and docking failures, complex ops (free flyer capture)
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Expected Standards of Proficiency for Mission Specialist Crew Duty Day Extenders NOTE For details on expected aircrew proficiency e standards, see AOD 33869, T-38 Aircrew Proficiency Standards. • Be able to quote or write all boldface items from memory • ave the following ops limits memorized: EGT flight limits, nozzle limits, minimum fuel, oil pressure limits, H hydraulic pressure limits • Calculate TOLD from the checklist • Check weather, NOTAMs, and servicing availability if going cross-country.
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g. Survival kit contents SOURCE: NASA Aircraft Operations Division, Astronaut T-38 Space Flight Readiness Training Syllabus, AOD 37515, Rev.
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Clark, NASA Aircraft Operations Division "Presentation to the NRC Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations," presentation to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations, January 6, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2011.
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George Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation of the FAA, 8 NASA Astronaut Office, "Examples of Actual Spaceflight Anomalies with Correlation to Training/Preparation for Emergency Response," attachment to "Responses to Questions for NASA on Space Flight Crew Issues," submitted to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., March 1, 2011.
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From page 80... ...
before the program, project, or operations manager may formally accept the risk." One input to the risk management process is the contribution of the SFRT program to crew training for rapid response to time-critical emergency situations under flight environment pressures. The spaceflight readiness training requirement is not tied to a specific mission but is derived from safety and mission success requirements established by NASA Headquarters.
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FIGURE 3.10 Soyuz Flight Readiness Review Process timeline. SOURCE: NASA Astronaut Office, "Ensuring the Readiness of the Astronaut Corps: A White Paper," March 25, 2011.
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The study concluded that the T-38N was the best available alternative, especially inasmuch as there would be serious challenges in acquir 9NASA Aircraft Operations Division, "Presentation to the NRC Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations," presentation to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations, January 6, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2011, pp.
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From page 83... ...
If astronauts are not exposed to them in training before they experience them in real flight operations, both crew safety and mission success are exposed to risk and the possible loss of life. When one examines the skill mix required of professional astronauts who operate spacecraft and their systems in nominal, off-nominal, and emergency situations, skills include academic achievement and technical knowledge, 10 NASA Astronaut Office, "Presentation to the NRC Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations," presentation to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations, January 6, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2011, p.
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Short of using their ejection seats, the crew must work together to stabilize and overcome 12 NASA, Flight Crew Operations Directorate Strategic Plan, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex., September 2006, p.
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EVOLVING TRAINING METHODS IN OTHER FIELDS On the basis of the evidence presented to the committee, the Astronaut Office has established and maintains an effective training program to ensure mission safety and success. No other occupation has quite the same set of requirements, but some related industries have a number of the same issues.
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FIGURE 3.12 Space shuttle Endeavour at the International Space Station in May 2011. SOURCE: Courtesy of NASA.
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The spaceflight readiness training requirement is derived from safety and mission success requirements, not tied to any specific mission. Although the requirement is not expressly documented at the NASA Headquarters program level, it was developed by the Flight Crew Operations Directorate in response to NASA Headquarters-controlled safety and mission success requirements and embedded at the level of the NASA JSC Certificate of Flight Readiness for safe operations of flight, which is then provided to NASA Headquarters.
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From page 88... ...
Recommendation 3.4. NASA should retain the T-38N fleet for spaceflight readiness training and should fund the fleet at a level commensurate with the projected required size of the post-shuttle Astronaut Corps.
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