New Spacecraft UI Design Tested by Astronauts

Boeing has recently showcased a full scale model of their proposed first commercial spacecraft to NASA astronauts in Houston, US. Flight suits tests were carried out to evaluate the design of the capsule’s interior as well as its user interface.

The interior of the test version contains a minimalistic UI, with crew members relying more on touch screen display and computer tablets rather than the more traditional dials and switches.

Chris Ferguson, a former space shuttle commander, said that the company had brought in NASA astronauts at this stage to provide “customer feedback” during its early stage of development.

A final version of the privately built spacecraft will be capable of carrying up to seven crew members to and from a low earth orbit. It is hoped that the craft will begin journeying to the international space station in 2017.

While the craft was primarily designed for the space agency, it could be used for other private enterprises in the future. In the meantime, it will undergo one more design iteration and further UI testing.

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• UI (User Interface)
• Usability