As humanity plans to go further beyond our planet, space agencies will need to make sure that astronauts can work autonomously, because any transmissions to and from mission control will face bigger delays.
Showcasing one possible way to ramp up astronaut independence, International Space Station crewmembers have been conducting repairs using augmented reality (AR) headsets, as per a NASA press release.
AR more effective than conventional method
That way, if something needs fixing, they’ll have all the data required in front of them, enabling them to fix equipment or instruments with as little assistance as possible. ISS crewmembers have been using the AR tech as part of the T2 Augmented Reality (T2AR) program for several months, the space agency notes.
The goal is to provide astronauts with real-time instructions, 3D cues, and prepackaged videos that instruct them into a Microsoft HoloLens. This will trim down their reliance on the ground team. Besides, the hands-free interface provides astronauts one less thing to worry about holding, freeing up an extra hand to use tools.
As of now, the repair work has been low-stakes: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Naguchi was the first to use instructions in an AR headset to fix a treadmill onboard the station, rather than taking help from a PDF document.
AR could be important for future missions
But the space agency suggests that the AR system could play an important role as crewmembers find themselves traveling to Mars and beyond, where their ability to reach out back home will be very limited. “The space station is the perfect platform to test out AR systems and refine these tools so they will be ready when future astronauts need them,” NASA associate scientist Bryan Dansberry said in the release.
Recently, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft docked with the ISS. It brought along a special piece of equipment from Earth – a 3D printer that will make use of lunar dust to make solid material. NASA is testing the printer developed by Redwire for use in its upcoming Artemis moon missions. It can also come in handy for future missions to Mars.
