Characteristics of EVA Mass Handling Skill
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Riccio, G. & McDonald, P.V. (1998) Understanding Skill in EVA Mass Handling: Part III. Empirical Developments and Conclusions. NASA Technical Paper 3684. Houston, TX: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. (Also published as Characteristics of EVA mass handling skill. Society of Automotive Engineers Paper No. 981625).
Key attributes of skilled mass handling were identified through an examination of lessons learned by the extravehicular activity operational community. These qualities were translated into measurable quantities. The operational validity of the ground-based investigation was improved by building a device that increased the degrees of freedom of extravehicular mobility unit motion on the Precision Air-Bearing Floor. The results revealed subtle patterns of interaction between motions of an orbital replacement unit mockup and mass handler that should be important for effective performance on orbit. The investigation also demonstrated that such patterns can be measured with a variety of common instruments and under imperfect conditions of observation.