An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Conceptual Design of Inhabited Space Systems

The success of manned space exploration missions depends on the sustained performance of human crews under conditions of long-term isolation, confinement and risk. Designing systems for such missions therefore poses a considerable challenge to the traditional, engineering-oriented design approach. This book describes a new, interdisciplinary approach that was developed to improve the integration of crews into inhabited space systems. The approach is based on aerospace systems engineering methodology with key elements from terrestrial architectural practice added. Several examples are given to demonstrate the validity of this truly interdisciplinary approach.