Revived interest in lunar exploration is heralding a new generation of design solutions in support of human operations on the Moon. While space system design has traditionally been guided by prototype deployments in analogue studies, the resource-intensive nature of this approach has largely precluded application of proficient user-centered design (UCD) methods from human-computer interaction (HCI). This paper explores possible use of Virtual Reality (VR) to simulate analogue studies in lab settings and thereby bring to bear UCD in this otherwise engineering-dominated field. Drawing on the ongoing development of the European Large Logistics Lander, we have recreated a prospective lunar operational scenario in VR and evaluated it with a group of astronauts and space experts (n=20). Our qualitative findings demonstrate the efficacy of VR in facilitating UCD, enabling efficient contextual inquiries and improving project team coordination. We conclude by proposing future directions to further exploit VR in lunar systems design.

翻译：月球探索兴趣的复苏正催生新一代支持月球人类任务的设计方案。尽管太空系统设计传统上依赖于模拟研究中的原型部署，但该方法对资源的极度依赖导致人机交互领域成熟以用户为中心的设计方法难以在此工程主导的领域应用。本文探讨了在实验室环境中利用虚拟现实模拟模拟研究的可能性，从而将人机交互的方法引入这一工程主导领域。基于欧洲大型后勤着陆器的持续研发，我们在虚拟现实中重建了预期的月球操作场景，并邀请一组宇航员与太空专家（共20人）进行评估。定性研究结果表明，虚拟现实在促进以用户为中心的设计方面具有显著成效，能够高效开展情境调研并提升项目团队协作效率。最后，我们提出未来方向以进一步探索虚拟现实在月球系统设计中的应用。