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Defense Intelligence Reference Document Cognitive Limits On Simultaneous Control Of Multiple Unmanned Spacecraft

Defense Intelligence Agency · 31 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, dated 15 December 2010, is a Defense Intelligence Agency report from its Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It looks at how many unmanned spacecraft one human pilot could control during future deep-space missions, drawing on research into air traffic control and piloting of multiple unmanned vehicles. It concludes that the limits are about 16 craft for simple tasks, 7 for moderately complex tasks and 4 for complex mixed fleets. It adds that physiological measures can signal when an operator is overloaded.

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In a post-hoc examination of sources of human error in taped controller data, Chang
developed a conceptual model of ATC task within a system of human, software,
hardware, and environment using the SHEL23 approach of ergonomics. This study also
examined several aspects of personnel management, but when overload was examined
as the source of error, it was shown that all factors need to be considered along with
their interaction. That is, the human and the external task cannot be considered in
isolation of the environment of the other humans, and the augmentation capabilities of
software, hardware, and the performance environment significantly affect error rates. 24
Operator overload can result in subsequent errors if sufficient recovery time is not
allotted. Di Nocera examined specific error rates after short periods of overload. The
first part of the study successfully proved that these so-called post-completion errors
existed in times immediately after peaks in workload. The second part of the study
examined whether an augmentation tool to assist in medium term conflict detection
could reduce these errors. The subject population included 18 military ATC of varying
experience. Workload was based on self-reported NASA-TLX. Results showed that
augmentation processes helped junior controllers, but senior controllers were
unaffected by the assistance. 25
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 31 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.