Aerospace Human Factors Association

Aerospace Human Factors Association

Aerospace Human Factors Association logo


AsHFA Goals:

  • To encourage human factors considerations in the development of aerospace systems
  • To apply our knowledge of human performance to system development
  • To promote research on factors affecting human performance
  • To exchange information with other groups having similar interests


The Organization:
The Aerospace Human Factors Association (AsHFA) was established to further the goals of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), increase AsMA membership, and serve as a voice of the Human Factors community within AsMA. AsHFA is organized with its own Constitution and By-Laws and elects its own officers. AsHFA has an elected, voting representative who serves on the AsMA Council and it appoints a member to AsMA's Nominating Committee. The organization has a budget, collects dues, and disburses funds to cover expenses. AsHFA has been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS. To become a member of AsHFA, one must first be a current member in good standing of AsMA. An application link can be found on the Membership Committee page.
 

Liaison Activities:

AsHFA has established liaison with other scientific organizations, such as APA Division 21 (Division of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, DOD Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group, SAE G10, SAFE, and others to exchange information and further its goals.
 

President: John R. Allen, Ph.D.

Country: United States
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://aerospacehf.wixsite.com/space
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AsHFAssoc/about/?ref=page_internal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AeroSpaceHF
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aerospacehumanfactors/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aerospace-human-factors-association/
 


A Bright Future for Application of Aerospace Human Factors to Space Missions

VISIONING STATEMENT FOR THE AEROSPACE HUMAN FACTORS ASSOCIATION

Annette Sobel, MD, MS, FAsMA, FAAFP

 
The term ‘human factors’ has become ubiquitous. Even ‘unmanned’ or remotely piloted systems have a central human factors component for mission completion and optimized performance.  Whether we are discussing engineering, psychology, physiology, or environmental issues, we are discussing a fused human condition.  When assessing performance, there are quantitative and qualitative elements that impact mission outcome.
 
Over the past decade, the field of aerospace human factors has become far more interdisciplinary and complex with the development of autonomous and decision-assisting systems.  Medicine and engineering are evolving multiple points of convergence (e.g., bio-printing, applied genomics/proteomics/metabolomics, etc.) in a myriad of dual-use applications. For example, human factors mission support and big data analytics of International Space Station data is incorporating artificial intelligence tools at scalable levels and demonstrating.  In addition, human-in-the-loop systems can be modeled with high fidelity data for the purposes of education, training and mission rehearsal.  In some situations, human performance modeling can even be predictive of outcome and anticipatory of challenges.
 
 In summary, with planning underway for the Gateway lunar orbital platform (anticipated in 2026), and Mission to Mars become an exciting reality, the acute need to integrate human factors and associated performance optimization metrics into mission architecture and requirements is real.  Increasingly sophisticated military systems will equally benefit from the dual-use advances enabled through the application of human factors principles.  Future Space Flight Surgeons, biomedical engineers, and life scientists will experience an increasing need to gain expertise in this rapidly evolving field.