Human-Software Trust Over 45 Days of Simulated Spaceflight

Spaceflight operations are a dynamic, safety-critical environment that relies on automated systems. Crew are expected to trust systems throughout the missions. Within the spaceflight context, it remains unclear how trust in software changes over time, and how measures of trust relate to measures of usability. This study presents initial results that longitudinally assess trust in an extreme environment analogous to spaceflight. Over a simulated spaceflight mission, crew interacted with a software tool designed to enhance crew autonomy by allowing them to manage their own schedule. They filled out a software trust questionnaire three times in total, the last time being post-mission. They also filled out a post-mission multidimensional usability questionnaire. Results suggested that trust increased over time, driven by items on security and familiarity. Post-mission trust was positively correlated with usability dimensions of attractiveness, dependability, and efficiency. Software trust emerges as a dynamic phenomenon that is closely linked with usability.