Examination of Human Spatial Reasoning Capability and Simulated Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking Monitoring Performance

Autonomous rendezvous and docking (ARD) maneuvers are challenging tasks that require collaboration between a human and a spacecraft to be successful. As automation becomes more integrated into ARD systems, it is important to consider when and why a human may take control. Intrinsic human characteristics can influence these decisions. We consider how human spatial orientation capacity affects participants when monitoring a simulated ARD maneuver and initiating takeover when the system is perceived to be failing. Participants’ spatial reasoning capability was assessed and compared to performance in the monitoring task and perceived mental workload. While participants showed high rates of success in the task, they showed a wide range in spatial reasoning capacity and perceived mental demand. Spatial reasoning capacity did not indicate participants’ mental workload, which has implications for the human as the supervisor. These results inform future work on augmentative displays that may incorporate exocentric and egocentric views.