The realization of humanity’s aspiration to establish permanent
outposts on the Moon and beyond will necessitate a substantial
increase in the complexity and frequency of Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). An innovative ecosystem comprising dependable,
secure, and user-centric technologies will have to be developed
to effectively assist and safeguard astronauts during these EVAs.
Historical endeavors in the realm of space systems development
have predominantly been shaped by engineering-driven safety considerations. This has typically resulted in solutions tailored towards
a narrow range of carefully pre-planned procedures. Conversely,
the expanded scope of future EVAs will require tools capable of
underpinning a wide array of activities that may not always be
predictable. This position paper asserts that addressing this situation requires the development of a balanced astronaut-oriented
participatory design approach to effectively identify design requirements and develop design prototypes for future EVA technologies.
Drawing upon established methods in technology development,
such as balanced human systems integration (bHSI), human system
exploration, and concurrent engineering, we propose the integration of astronauts and domain experts throughout the entire design
process. Prior to technological development, significant emphasis
should be placed on exploring initial design requirements and concepts. Furthermore, the development of EVA tools should emphasize
the establishment of iterative feedback loops between all stakeholders ensuring adaptability of the technology across all stages in the
development lifecycle. Derived from those principles, we propose a
systematic balanced astronaut-oriented design framework aimed at
enabling efficient, cost-effective, and targeted development of EVA
technologies starting from the early design process. We illustrate
the applicability of this approach by outlining the design procedure
of AR interfaces in support of future EVAs