Operator performance during Space Shuttle and International Space Station robotic arm training can differ dramatically among astronauts. The difficulty making appropriate camera selections and accurate use of hand controllers, two of the more important aspects for performance, may be rooted in a problem mentally relating the various reference frames used by the displays, hand controllers and robot arm. In this paper, we examine whether the origin of such individual differences can be found in certain components of spatial ability. We have developed a virtual reality simulation of the Space Station Robotic Workstation to investigate whether performance differences can be correlated with subjects' perspective-taking and mental rotation abilities. Spatial test scores were measured and correlated to their performance in a docking robotic task. The preliminary results show that both mental rotation strategies and perspective-taking strategies are used by the operator to move the robot arm around the workspace. Further studies must be performed to confirm such findings. If important correlations between performance and spatial abilities are found, astronaut training could be designed in order to fulfill each operator's needs, reducing both training time and cost.

MOXIE [Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Experiment] is the first demonstration of ISRU on another planet, producing oxygen by solid oxide electrolysis of carbon dioxide in the martian atmosphere. A scaled-up MOXIE would contribute to sustainable human exploration of Mars by producing on-site the tens of tons of oxygen required for a rocket to transport astronauts off the surface of Mars, instead of having to launch hundreds of tons of material from Earth’s surface to transport the required oxygen to Mars. MOXIE has produced oxygen seven times between landing in February 2021 and the end of 2021 and will continue to demonstrate oxygen production during night and day throughout all martian seasons. This paper reviews what MOXIE has accomplished and the implications for larger-scale oxygen-producing systems.

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