Illuminating Objects In Space

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31003, 8 March 1966, Page 10

Illuminating Objects In Space

Work on the exterior of a spacecraft in orbit, or assembling a station in space, might one day require the talents -of a Hollywood lighting i technician, said a Douglas Air- ) * craft Company scientist in J Orlando, Florida. i Mr T. L. Runyan, human • factors scientist at the ■ Douglas missile and space } system division, said the prob- ■ lem of illuminating objects in • earth-orbital space for an J astronaut’s performance of i tasks was similar to that J which confronted the techni- ■ cian charged with lighting a ■ movie set or television floor, i “Unfortunately, the natural • illumination outside the orbitJ ing spacecraft does not pro- ■ vide the astronaut with his J customary visual experience,” ■ Mr Runyan told delegates to ■ the national conference on J space maintenance and extra- « vehicular activities. J He said sunlight, as ■ observed from space, was like J nothing experienced on earth, « with the exception of experi- • mental work done with Laser ■ beams. J The strong point-to-point , contrast of natural space illu- • mination produced extremely J bright highlights and equally i extremely deep shadows—the • whitest whites and the black- ■ est blacks—and rendered ■ some objects unrecognisable, J if not invisible. • Optical hazards also faced ’ the astronaut who had to ■ work outside an orbiting • vehicle. The solar sphere, as J viewed from space, was • brighter than an atomic flrea ball and could cause retinal ■ damage to the unprotected • eye with only an inadvertent i glance in its direction. To reduce the “unearthly” ■ contrast and, at the same « time, limit the anticipated haz-

ards, Mr Runyan said, sunlight in space must be scattered, bounced and filled-in just as it was naturally in our atmosphere and artificially on the movie set. He said the most practical approach to overcoming the visual limitations in space appeared to be the use of artificial lights, reflectors, self-luminous surfaces and translucent shades—all tools of the lighting technican’s trade. Mr Runyan and Dr. J. M. Dick, chief of the Douglas aerospace medicine branch, are co-authors of a paper, “Illumination for ExtraVehicular Tasks.” This outlines the company’s programme to determine illumination conditions in space, the visual limitatioiis on man’s ability to perform useful tasks, and requirements for devices to overcome these limitations.