The Human Systems Integration (HSI)
Employee Resource Group (ERG) hosted its first annual HSI Workshop on April 9. Per
the NASA/SP-2015-3709, HSI Practitioner’s Guide, HSI encompasses “interdisciplinary
technical and management processes for integrating human system considerations
and performance objectives within and across all system elements; an essential
enabler to systems engineering practice, safety, health practice toward optimal
mission execution, and reduced total system life-cycle costs.”
The
workshop had two main goals: 1) Learn the state of HSI at NASA’s Johnson Space
Center (lessons learned and current/future efforts); and 2) Identify how the
six NASA HSI domains (Figure 1) can
be applied in a mission. For the second goal, the Gateway Program was used as a
case study to allow participants to practice identifying hypothetical HSI
requirements, as well as verification and validation methods.
Seventy-two
presenters and attendees from approximately 20 organizations at Johnson, along
with representatives from NASA Headquarters, Ames Research Center and Langley
Research Center, attended. Participants’ HSI experiences ranged from novice to
expert, but all had an interest in learning and sharing their knowledge. Among
the participants were founders and longtime members of the ERG, such as
Jennifer Rochlis, George Salazar, Christie Sauers and Doug Wong.

Figure 1. NASA’s HSI domains.
Opening
remarks from HSI ERG Chair Jackelynne Silva-Martinez highlighted the notion
that humans, along with their capabilities and limitations, are part of the
systems that they interface with. While the end user (crew) is critical, “humans”
includes all personnel who are involved in a given system. Even with automated
systems, humans need to be considered, because they code these systems and
troubleshoot them if issues arise.
Throughout
the day, participants learned about how HSI has/is/will be applied during the
life-cycle of NASA systems (e.g., ISS, Orion, Gateway, xEMU, aircraft).
Participants were also educated about various risks and lessons learned
associated with not incorporating HSI throughout the life-cycle of systems. For
example, Dennis Pate, a Human Factors Engineer with Safety & Mission
Assurance experience, discussed in his presentation how HSI and human factors
issues may have contributed to significant incidents in human space flight. He
also highlighted the need for NASA to capture corporate knowledge and lessons
learned and utilize this information in the future.
Morning
keynote speaker Dr. Vincent Michaud, deputy chief health and medical officer at
NASA Headquarters, explained that there is an agencywide push for HSI given
that NASA is entering an unprecedented period of development and design with various
pieces of hardware and vehicles being made around the country. For example,
afternoon keynote speaker Debra Ludban,
Gateway vehicle systems integration deputy
manager, discussed NASA’s new mission to go to the Moon via Gateway and some of
the HSI work currently being done.
Michaud
emphasized that “considering HSI early in the design cycle avoids costs late in
the design cycle, when you can least afford it,” and that NASA needs to
“[develop] a culture that embraces HSI so that every engineer is thinking about
HSI from the first minute, not when … attaching humans to something. That’s too
late.” Michaud also stated that “HSI gives us a toolset to keep costs down and
schedules under control.”
Other
presenters echoed these sentiments. Bill Othon, Gateway test and verification manager,
indicated that with “the fleet of new vehicles coming up … HSI has to get
involved early.”
Ginger
Kerrick, chief of the Flight Integration Division,
discussed how she encourages her employees to “get involved early in design
process, because that is where you can affect the most change,” and to “think
about how to simplify design early on [because it is a] pretty good cost trade
in the grand scheme.”
Workshop
participants also learned about and discussed the state of the HSI ERG. In
particular, the group had conversations about whether the ERG should be
replaced by a Community of Practice, or if both should be present at the center.
Johnson
Chief Scientist Eileen Stansbery, deputy director of the Exploration
Integration and Science Directorate and the HSI ERG co-executive sponsor,
discussed advantages and limitations of ERGs and Communities of Practice. “A Community
of Practice … can have broader inclusion within a community, which includes
both employees and mid-level managers, which have an interest in or are stakeholders
in the field. ERGs can take interested [individuals] that may not be
practitioners of that discipline, but Communities of Practice are typically
only practitioners. ERGs have broader reach ability. To have both at JSC is a
value … [We] need to take advantage of the differences.”
The workshop
culminated with participants putting into practice the HSI concepts they
learned throughout the day by splitting into one of six working groups (each
representing one of the six NASA HSI domains). Each group ran a learning
exercise to formulate big-picture requirements and possible verification and
validation methods given some Gateway assumptions. Then, each group presented
their findings to the entire group.
The 2019
HSI ERG Executive Board would like to thank all of the HSI workshop supporters
(attendees, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, etc.) that made the event a
success. Please visit the ERG’s SharePoint and join the listserv to learn more
about HSI and stay current about upcoming events and opportunities.
The
HSI workshop presentations were recorded and will be available via the HSI ERG SharePoint
site at a later date. Images from the event are available for download
here.
Dr. Vincent Michaud, deputy chief health and medical officer at NASA Headquarters, gives a keynote address at the Human Systems Integration (HSI) Employee Resource Group's first HSI workshop. Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
HSI Employee Resource Group Chair Jackelynne Silva-Martinez highlighted that humans, along with their capabilities and limitations, are part of the systems that they interface with. Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Gateway Vehicle Systems Integration Deputy Manager Debra Ludban discusses NASA’s new mission to go to the Moon via Gateway and some of the HSI work currently being done for it. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair