RSC Energia Conducts Ergonomic Testing for Federation Spacecraft

Ergonomic testing has been conducted for the new Federation spacecraft. (Credit: RSC Energia)

MOSCOW (RSC Energia PR) — The RSC Energia specialists conducted the first tests of the man-machine interface elements on a unique stand for ergonomic testing the Federation manned transport spacecraft of a new generation.

The tests of different information-control formats are made in the scope of these tests for the Federation crew; after the analysis of the test results the decisions on expediency of using one or another of the interface elements in the new spacecraft will be accepted.

Head of the RSC Energia Flight-Test Department Mark SEROV said: “We carried out the first formal, documented test on this new stand in the scope of the man-machine interface development. Its essence is to evaluate the distribution of the basic information areas on displays of the cosmonaut panel”.

The ergonomic test stand with a high degree of accuracy simulates the crew workstations in the spacecraft command module and the crew working conditions including the use of rescue spacesuits.

The man-machine interface elements testing is carried out according to the major algorithms of the crew activity and in all flight phases, namely launch, injection, autonomous flight, docking and flight within the orbital station or the lunar interorbital complex.

The new generation manned transport spacecraft developed by RSC Energia is designed to deliver people and cargo to the Moon and orbital stations in near-earth orbit.

The spacecraft is reusable, high technologies which sometimes have no analogues in world cosmonautics are used to create it. In particular, the descent module of the manned transport spacecraft will be made using innovative materials; a reusable docking assembly is envisaged. Up-to-date avionics will allow to solve the problems related to the spacecraft rendezvous and docking more effectively, increase the crew safety in the phases of injection and return to Earth.

The number of the manned transport spacecraft crew will be up to four persons. The spacecraft can fly in the autonomous flight mode up to 30 days, during the flight within the orbital station it can fly up to one year. The total weight of the spacecraft during the flight to the orbital station will be equal to 14.4 t (19 t when flying to the Moon), the reentry vehicle mass is 9 t. The spacecraft length is 6.1 m. To inject this spacecraft into near-earth orbit it is planned to use the Angara-A5P heavy-class launch vehicle.