AAWSAP DIRD, Cockpits in the Era of Breakthrough Flight, November 2010

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a single joystick with six degrees of freedom, some sort of gesture-based system, or
one that has those degrees of freedom dispersed across multiple pilot inputs (e.g ., head
motion, legs and feet, and arms and hands) remains open for future study. As a
provisional baseline, this report chooses the option of having a pair of six-degree-of­
freedom joysticks, one for both the left and right hands and located at the edge of the
cockpit chair's arm rests.
Three equally avallable rectilinear axes of motion
Three equally available rotational axes of motion
Figure 1, Six Independent Degrees of Freedom. [Graphic: A. Szames] Note : the vehicle shown is strictly
hypothetical and is a combination of three 1960s science fiction vehicles: Seaview submarine, Galileo shuttle, and
Amtronic car.
Similar to requiring new control methods, new display methods are also required to
convey more information than in legacy cockpits.
In addition to the complete six
degrees of freedom, these motions will take place near the Earth's surface, in orbit, and
in deep space. A key difference spanning those regimes is the traditional role played by
a gravitational field as a reference for orientation and motion. Since a gravitational
reference will not always be present, and yet is extremely important when it is present,
the new display system must accommodate all regimes in a way that feels natural to
the pilots. These particular challenges are addressed in the section on Mixed
Operational Regimes.
Separation of Internal and External Environments
Probably the most significant and perplexing difference for breakthrough-era cockpits is
that the sensations of motion inside the vehicle will not necessarily match the motion of
the vehicle itself. This is both a consequence of the method of propulsion as well as
cockpit features designed to ensure crew survival.
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