OPS 102 is the first professional education course on the landing and post-landing phase of human spacecraft missions. this course covers nominal and contingency landing scenarios, post-landing planning, rescue and recovery architecture design, egress systems and operational procedures, deconditioning and post-landing survivability, generalized egress skills, and emergency egress bottle use. OPS 102 also provides instruction on spacesuit use in nominal and off-nominal post-landing environments. Students demonstrate reliable functionality of parachute release, life preserver unit (LPU), and snorkel functionality in varying sea and lighting conditions. Students also learn the effective use of radios, beacons, signal flares, and other signaling devices in water and egress bottle use for egress operations.
Learning Objectives:
Spaceflight-Specific Topics of Study:
- Planning for Nominal and Contingency Landings
- Nominal Rescue Operations
- Contingency Rescue Operations for Land Landing Spacecraft
- International Program-Specific Agreements
- Global SAR Response Resources supporting Contingency Landings
- Contingency Rescue Operations for Water Landing Spacecraft
- Pad Egress Failure Environments, Pad Egress Design and Operations
- Early De-orbit scenarios
- Post-Landing Contingencies
- Egress Systems
- Egress Procedures and Operations
- Assessing Probabilities and Effects of Injuries and Deconditioning
- Assessing the Effects of Deconditioning on Egress Operations
- Incapacitation through Entrapment
- Egress and Post-Landing Operations in the Age of Commercial Manned Spaceflight
- Emergency Post-Landing Survival Kits, Medical Resources.
Sea Survival Skills:
- Safety and survival equipment utilization and deployment
- Introduction to hypothermia mitigation and sea survival
- Personal rescue techniques and use of life rafts and signaling devices
- Characteristics of personal flotation devices and aviation jackets
Spacecraft Egress Skills:
- Safety and survival equipment utilization and deployment
- Coping with physiological and psychological stress
- Demonstrate stable flotation for various size test subjects
- Demonstrate reliable functionality of parachute release in varying sea conditions
- Demonstrate reliable functionality of snorkel system in varying sea conditions
- Demonstrate raft ingress in varying sea conditions
- Qualitative assessments of suit functionality and comfort with LPU
- Demonstrate effective use of radios, beacons, signal flares, and other signaling devices in water
- Demonstrate effective use of egress bottle for egress operations
OPTIONAL: Fundamental Egress Skills:
- Introduction of rescue devices and simulated rescues;
- Preparation for emergency landing situations;
- Evacuation through an emergency exit;
- Physics and physiology for use of compressed air;
- Preflight inspection, egress considerations, and clearing procedures using an EBD
- Conducting an emergency egress on breath hold utilizing the Shallow Water Egress Trainer
- Conducting an emergency egress with an EBD utilizing the Shallow Water Egress Trainer
- Evacuation and escape training utilizing the Modular Egress Training Simulator (METS™) with and without utilizing an EBD
On-Site Curriculum (4-5 days):
Classroom instruction: Suit (Pressure suit system description, Analog suit differences), Parachute components, Ejection (sequence, components), Post-ejection, Post-departure through crew/seat separation, Descent (Post seat separation through canopy open and canopy descent, Proper position, CVSPSR, Landing), Survival/signaling, Survival gear descriptions and use, Signaling ops, Water Operations (Psychological, Practical), Rescue Operations, Safety
Sea Survival: Life raft deployment/entry and simulated emergency scenarios, Introduction to individual and group sea surface formations, Introduction to search and rescue resources and equipment.
Capsule Egress Operations: Unsuited Capsule Egress (Side Hatch, Top Hatch, Life raft ops/ingress, Raft ops/signaling), Suited Capsule Egress (Side Hatch, Top Hatch, Life raft ops/ingress, Raft ops/signaling)
Suited Parachute lift and drop: dry (Lift, Position, Canopy check, Visor, Seat kit, Prepare, Release), Suited Parachute lift – wet ((Lift, Position, Canopy check, Visor, Seat kit, Prepare, Drop, Release, Canopy extraction, Hoist ops (Horse collar, Forrest Penetrator, Mail hook)