In October, the NASA team revisited Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to collaborate with Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, engineers, to further evaluate the latest version of astronaut crew seats and flight suits intended for the Orion spacecraft. Testing was conducted with U.S. Air Force volunteers, who met various height and weight requirements. The testing progressed into November, incorporating human subjects in seat evaluations.
After concluding the NASA program in April, which centered on integrating the Orion space suit and seat while assessing structural integrity using anthropometric test dummies, or ATDs, for extreme impact predictions, the NASA and biodynamics lab teams started strategizing for their revisit in Fall 2023 to commence trials with human participants, according to Chris Perry, senior biomedical engineer, Biodynamics Section, 711th Human Performance Wing.