The Elements of Human Factors: Illustrations from the Collision at the Mir Space Station

A variety of information displays have been developed in the past 15 years to aid user-interaction with new technology. Perhaps no technology illustrates the central role of human factors better than virtual environment or virtual object displays. The broad range and scope of the role that human factors can play in the design of interfaces to "virtual reality" will be illustrated through a summary of the causes and consequences of the collision of the Russian space freighter into the space station Mir on July 25, 1997.