Rice University
presents

William J. Clancey

Chief Scientist, Human-Centered Computing

Nasa/Ames Research Center

Human Exploration Ethnography of

the Haughton-Mars Project 1998-99

During the past two field seasons, July 1998 and 1999, Dr. Clancey and his team have conducted research about the field practices of scientists and engineers at Haughton Crater on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic, with the objective of determining how people will live and work on Mars. This broad investigation of field life and work practice, part of the Haughton-Mars Project, spans social and cognitive anthropology, psychology, and c o mputer science. His approach involves systematic observation and description of activities, places, and concepts, constituting an ethnography of field science at Haughton. As such, they view the exploration process in terms of a total system comprising a social organization, facilities, terrain/climate, personal identities, artifacts, and computer tools. \par Studying human exploration as it naturally occurs in an extreme environment provides a baseline for developing future exploration tools that are situated in human practices and the natural setting:

• to design and automate habitat systems, such as the Mars Arctic Research Station (MARS), which will be placed at Haughton in July 2000 by the Mars Society
• to determine requirements for infrastructure and data collection tools
• to prototype protocols and collaboration tools for mission operation support
• to establish needs and methods for virtual presence (for the public, scientific communities, and immediate collaborators of the crew), including remote sensing.

In this presentation Dr. Clancey will describe the ethnographic method employed at Haughton; and survey some of the patterns observed and design hypotheses being investigated. He will explain how ethnography must be adapted to studying a modern expedition and how traditional time-motion data may complement a qualitative study. The presentation includes video clips showing conceptual change, improvisation, and scientific collaboration at Haughton.

Rice University
Friday, November 12, 1999 at 11:00 a.m.
McMurtry Auditoriu, Duncan Hall