Vertical Habitability Layout Studies and Neutral Buoyancy/Parabolic Flight Habitat Studies
<p style="text-indent: 25px;">In the Summer of 2013, the University of Maryland was selected for two projects under the NASA X-Hab 2014 program, administered by the National Space Grant Foundation: Vertical Habitability Layout Studies (XHab201406) and Neutral Buoyancy/Parabolic F
Selection note: Curated for vertical-habitat layout studies and analog testing that connect architecture with crew movement, privacy, work, emergency response, and human factors.
Evidence boundary: The study offers analog and design context, but curation did not validate participant representativeness, long-duration outcomes, or mission transfer. It is habitability-method context, not evidence of crew health or acceptance.
Stable record
ntrs-20230008022
Topic
structures-shielding
Type
Contractor or Grantee Report
Publisher
Kennedy Space Center
Authors
David L. Akin; Katherine McBryan; Christopher Carlsen; Nicholas Limparis; Nicholas D'Amore; Matthew Adams; Colin Adamson; Ashok Bhattarai
Year
2023
Editorial state
metadata curated editorial draft
Reviewer
GShips Project editorial synthesis
Official link checked
2026-07-25
Source-supplied abstract
<p style="text-indent: 25px;">In the Summer of 2013, the University of Maryland was selected for two projects under the NASA X-Hab 2014 program, administered by the National Space Grant Foundation: Vertical Habitability Layout Studies (XHab201406) and Neutral Buoyancy/Parabolic Flight Habitat Studies (XHab201407). This document, at the direction of the NASA Technical Monitor, comprises the final report for both of these contracts.
<p style="text-indent: 25px;">Recognizing from the outset the mismatch between the desired scope of research activities under the contracts and the severely limited funding and duration, the University of Maryland leveraged the X-Hab support by integrating the programs into a number of academic classes throughout the 2013-2014 academic year. By far the most significant interaction was with the Department of Aerospace Engineering Senior capstone experience in spacecraft design sequence, ENAE 483/484. Throughout the academic year, 42 students in this sequence worked on both projects in conjunction with their senior project to design an artificial gravity research station in a distant lunar retrograde orbit. As part of this research project, the students worked with previously created 1-G habitats and underwater simulations to better understand habitat design from microgravity to full Earth gravity, as well as at lunar and Mars gravity levels between those two endpoints.
Abstract text has not been adopted as a GShips conclusion.
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The study offers analog and design context, but curation did not validate participant representativeness, long-duration outcomes, or mission transfer. It is habitability-method context, not evidence of crew health or acceptance.
Source-supplied titles, abstracts, authors, and dates may require correction against the canonical full text.
What would change this page?
A newer or corrected version, retraction, verified duplicate, material topic mismatch, changed access state, or claim-level assessment would change this record.
People, review, and conflicts
Prepared by
GShips Project
Editorial status
metadata-curated-editorial-draft
Editorial reviewer
GShips Project editorial synthesis
Last editorial review
No editorial-review date recorded
Independent review
pending
Independent reviewer
No independent reviewer assigned
Last independent review
No independent-review date exists
Last content edit
Not recorded separately
Official source or link verified
2026-07-25
Declared conflicts
The maintainer intends to explore a commercial venture based on some GShips work. No entity, outside funding, customer, sponsor, or indexed-organization relationship currently exists.