Influence of control modes and complexity on performance of manual-control spacecraft rendezvous and docking

Spacecraft rendezvous and docking (RVD) is one of the major tasks in space flight mission. This study focused on the influence of control modes and complexity on the Chinese operator performance in manual-controlled RVD. A simulated RVD system was developed. 15 male subjects aged 23-40 participated in the experiment. Examined in the experiment were two control modes (mode A - engine control and mode B - direct control) and three task complexity levels ( level 1 - one axis RVD control, level 2 - two axes RVD control, and level 3 - three axes RVD control). Conclusions from the statistical analysis on the experiment data include: Control mode A required longer operation time than mode B did; the RVD operation time increased with the increase of task complexity; under task complexity level 2, operators felt much better to finish the RVD control tasks; and subjects preferred control mode B which was conformable to their operate experience. These conclusions can be useful to the spacecraft design and astronauts training.