Staff Sgt. Jason Wassom, 3rd Space Operations Squadron, sits at a student station in the new Standard Space Trainer Integrated Training Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado following the ribbon cutting and official opening of the new system. The technology concept for the SST was developed by scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Readiness Research Division, Continuous Learning and Performance Assessment Branch. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Rogers

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Human Performance Wing helps develop standardized approach to space training

Published March 23, 2011
By Elizabeth Long
711th Human Performance Wing

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Standard Space Trainer that recently debuted at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado is significant because it encompasses a standardized approach to training people to operate different and very complex space systems. The technology concept for the SST was developed by scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Readiness Research Division, Continuous Learning and Performance Assessment Branch.

In the past, the company that developed a piece of equipment or system was typically responsible for providing the training solution for that system. Many of these training devices were very expensive and required a lot of maintenance and regular updating to stay current with the operational systems. Some of them were based on the operational equipment software and used the same software that ran on the actual systems. So the software that might be great at operating the actual equipment might not be optimized to support learning and classroom training for personnel destined to operate the system.

"The SST represents a departure from all those different training packages in that it is a common and flexible information enterprise based on game technology," explained Dr. Winston "Wink" Bennett, technical advisor for continuous learning and performance assessment research at the 711 HPW/RHAS. "The technology performs simulations of the functional aspects of the system without all of the deep-level logic that would go into the actual equipment. Further, the SST is optimized to support learning and training success while faithfully representing the operational systems and their functions. This helps to ensure what we term 'transfer' of the training to the operational system because the students have 'seen' the operational system and functions in the training environment before they see them in the operational environment."

The technology development began as a Small Business Innovation Research project with Sonalysts, Inc., which built the SST. The original SBIR was sponsored by the Space and Missile Systems Center Space Training Acquisition Office, which was interested in applying the technology to satellite training.

In addition to SMC, Sonalysts and the Human Effectiveness Directorate, the project had the support of Air Force Space Command and the Air Education and Training Command schoolhouse at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

"It takes a very strong partnership to ensure the success of something as paradigm changing as SST," Bennett said. "A number of key offices and some very forward leaning people at HQ Space Command, SMC and the AETC schoolhouse were critical to the successful transition and continued growth of the SST program."

He added, "I am very proud of our science and technology contributions to the U. S. Air Force. The SST collaboration is a great example of the kind of success the Warfighter Readiness Research Division team has had in terms of partnering to support the warfighter and getting technology into the field. All of our technology transfers have been team efforts, where we have collaborated with the acquisition community, companies, and the operational and training communities to make them happen."