"Reading is more effective and pleasant when the reader knows what to
anticipate. That anticipation is what I want to accomplish in this
preface. Let me begin by telling you what this monograph is not. It is
not a history of the U.S. space program, nor a human factors textbook
nor a science and technology textbook. However, when you have finished
reading it you will have had a thumbnail sketch of the history of the
space program. You will also have a pretty good idea of what human
factors is all about and especially its applications in aviation and
space. Finally, if I have been successffil, you will have had your fancy
tickled by some of the issues of science and technology that I have
shared with you.
The first chapter tells the meaning of the terms human factors and
ergonomics, and goes on to tell a bit about the early developments in
the fields. Each of the following chapters is an essay dealing with a
bit of the history of spaceflight as it was manifested in the design of
a specific vehicle or group of vehicles. I have selected an assortment
of human factors issues to illustrate both the breadth and depth of the
discipline, but this does not come close to being an exhaustive
characterization. I hope that some of my enthusiasm for human factors
work rubs off because you too are intrigued by the non-intuitive, and
delight in finding elegant solutions to unexpected problems."
H.W.
The mathematics is elementary arithmetic, scale changes, units and
measurement. No problems are provided, but it would be easy to think of
some. It gives the reader an idea of what is feels like to be an
astronaut. The text includes an excellent discussion of vomiting in
space. Teachers of younger students could use this as the basis for
a lesson even though the reading level is too high.