For comparison, a chain saw operates at about 110 dB and a loud rock n' roll concert can exceed 120 dB SPL. Tests were conducted March 13 at the 50,000-watt microphone-in-real-ear (MIRE) facility at AFRL/HE's Warfighter Interface Division, Battlespace Acoustics Branch (HECB), where sound levels experienced during a shuttle launch were reproduced.Īstronauts in the shuttle crew compartment experience noise levels around 115 dB SPL (sound pressure level) during liftoff for less than one minute, according to Dustin Gohmert, NASA Johnson Space Center's lead engineer for the communications upgrade project. ![]() Mark Ericson, an AFRL/HECB electronics engineer with a doctorate in speech and hearing science who is directing the tests. AFRL's reputation and facilities are well-known as is their expertise in conducting tests that are technically correct."ĪFRL has been a leader in aircraft acoustics for more than 50 years, according to Dr. Danielson said NASA teamed with AFRL to conduct tests "because we've had good working relationships with AFRL and the team here is very supportive. With the current fixed-position boom the microphone sometimes is too far away from smaller crew members.ĭr. ![]() NASA wants to improve comfort and incorporate a dual-microphone system with a shorter boom that can adjust to accommodate a range of head shapes and sizes. "We're assessing the modification only for the shuttle missions through 2010 right now, but the method of evaluating it and what we know about the technology may be used for the new Orion launch vehicle's helmet and communication system," Danielson said. ![]() NASA's upgraded technology and AFRL/HE's related assessment techniques could also help guide design of helmet and communications systems for NASA's Constellation Program, according to audiologist Richard Danielson of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute and the manager for Audiology and Hearing Conservation at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.Ĭonstellation is NASA's recently initiated space exploration mission to return humans to the moon, then on to Mars and other solar system destinations. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRL/HE) are testing a next-generation hearing protection and communications system for astronauts, designed for use inside NASA's advanced crew escape suit (ACES) during the remaining space shuttle missions.
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