NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

Relevant Technical 

Requirements

Lighting Design

OCHMO-TB-026

Rev C

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2, Rev D

[V2 3006] Human-Centered Task Analysis

[V2 5051] Legibility

[V2 6117] Artificial Light Exposure Limits for 

Ultraviolet (UV) Sources

[V2 8051] Illumination Levels

[V2 8103] Environmental Lighting 

Attenuation

[V2 8104] Task-Specific Exterior Lighting for 

Operational Areas Partially or Fully Lit by 

Sunlight

[V2 8105] Navigation and Wayfinding 

(Exterior)

[V2 8053] Emergency Lighting

[V2 8059] White Lighting Chromaticity

[V2 8060] White Lighting Color Accuracy

[V2 8055] Physiological Effects of Light 

(Circadian Entrainment)

[V2 8056] Lighting Controls

[V2 8057] Lighting Adjustability

[V2 8058] Glare Prevention

[V2 8106] Extraterrestrial Surface Transport 

Vehicle (ESTV) Dashboard and Control 

Lighting

[V2 10048] Visual Display Parameters

Executive Summary

Spacecraft lighting systems—inside and 

outside the vehicle—have a large number of

contributing variables and factors to consider. 

Careful planning and consideration should be 

given to the development and performance 

verification of light sources, and for the system 

architecture integration and control of the 

lighting system. Improperly integrated lighting 

systems impact task and behavioral 

performance of the crew and can impact the 

performance of automated systems that rely 

on cameras.

Artist's illustration of Gateway. Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Background

12/19/2023

Rev C 2

Risks

If lighting levels are inadequate or inappropriate, crewmembers run the risk of performing 

tasks poorly (or failing them outright), interrupting their circadian rhythm (posing its own 

risks, see OCHMO-TB-016 Behavioral Health and Performance), and injuring themselves. 

Injuries or discomfort to the eye can result from light sources and specular glare. Some 

lamps run hot, which can pose a touch-temperature risk to crew or fire risk to nearby 

material.

Lighting is important to spacecraft design because visual perception provides the 

crewmember’s primary source of information about the environment. A lighting 

system can also impact the operation of sensors that are sensitive to light such as 

cameras, scanners, and sensors that use light as their primary means of operation. 

As such, it has been a crucial consideration since the earliest crewed programs. 

Many different factors must be balanced in order to produce a lighting environment 

that is conducive to crew health and mission success. Light has a large effect on the 

human circadian rhythm. For example, blue light inhibits the production of 

melatonin, and should be avoided before crewmembers go to sleep. Since space 

missions will not necessarily follow a 24-hour day, vehicle lighting must facilitate 

comfortable rhythms for the crew.

Units and Terms

• Illuminance: total luminous flux 

falling on a surface per unit area, 

measured in Lux or Foot-Candles

• Lumen: measure of total quantity 

of visible light emitted by a source

• Lux: unit of illuminance; 1 lux = 1 

lumen per square meter

• Candela: lumens per steradian

• Chromaticity: color balance
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Background

3

A good lighting system requires integration and support by experts from a wide range of fields. 

• Light sources and lighting systems are a part of a larger architectural system that impacts human 

perception of the environment, human behavior, human safety or error rates, and artificial vision 

and sensor systems for remote monitoring. 

• Several factors and environmental conditions pose performance risks on lighting system electronics, 

such as power, weight, radiation, thermal, electromagnetic interference, and vibration.

• Conflicts may arise between lighting systems and the sensors as a result of insufficient light levels, 

electromagnetic spectrum wavelengths, and/or pulse frequencies that play havoc with successful 

operation of their systems. 

Goniophotometer

A light source, whether it is a lamp, an indicator, or display, is an 

optical system that requires specialized test equipment and 

facilities to accurately document and refine optical performance. 

These resources and services may require use of all of the 

following: 

• Controlled dark room facility 

• Spectral irradiance meter to document spectrum at known 

distances

• Spectral radiance meter to document spectral brightness

• Spectral reflectance meter to test material surface properties 

for integrated architectures

• Goniophotometer for beam pattern measurements

• Imaging colorimeter for lamp and display contrast and 

uniformity verification

Lab testing of suit lighting

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Background

4

An integrated design, simulation, and test process for subsystem lamp and system lighting 

is necessary to avoid risks for an incompatible habitat solution. Computer based optical 

design and simulation tools reduce risk by developing light source solutions and then 

integrating them into architectural lighting models. This computer based optical analysis 

process can be used to reduce risk when considering the following trades:

• How do small changes in physical properties of light sources impact various optical 

and spectral properties of a deployed lighting system?

• How do different light source beam pattern configuration options work together to 

provide a uniformly lit operational environment at desired light levels? This feedback 

can in turn drive sub-system lamp performance guidelines and help the developer 

drive out power and weight issues.

• Considering where different fixed and mobile cameras are located, will the proposed 

integrated lighting architecture provide lighting environment required for a fully 

functional imaging system?

• When factoring in human body postures for a range of percentile sizes, how well does 

the lighting system address shadowing, illumination at predicted human body 

locations, and glare?

• When factoring exterior surface reflectance and direction of collimated light from the 

sun, how can exterior artificial lighting systems be optimized to maximize visibility for 

the crew?

• The NASA Johnson Space Center Lighting Lab uses a forward ray tracer, ZemaxOptics

Studio Premium, and a reverse ray tracer, Radiance, for computer lighting 

simulations.

Light Source Beam Distribution testing

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Background

5

Testing

Testing for integrated lighting system design typically consists 

of a combination of methods that include: computer 

simulation, subjective measures from human-in-the-loop 

testing and objective measures utilizing specialized test 

equipment. 

Computer Simulation

Computer simulation by means of optical ray tracing 

software can do a lot of the legwork involved in balancing 

tradeoffs and meeting parameters. Once designed, the 

lighting system in question is placed in a vehicle mockup, 

where an illuminance meter is used to measure whether the 

desired lighting levels are being met.

Computer Modeling of Interior Lighting Environments 

Solid State Lighting Assembling’s - ISS Node 2 perceived light 

intensity images (right) developed using Radiance lighting 

analysis software. Source: Addressing Challenges to the 

Design & Test of Operational Lighting Environments for the 

International Space Station, Clark, T.A., Presentation 03/2016

Objective Testing for Product Development

Objective measurement of optical properties provides an “unforgiving” grading tool for evaluation of 

products produced as a result of end-item subsystem requirements, such as lamps, backlit panels, display 

devices, indicator panels, and manufactured surfaces. The following lighting testing should be considered:

• Testing of optical properties should be done in a controlled environment, such as a dark room.

• A high-quality spectral irradiance meter can document lamp intensity at a distance, and lamp 

spectrum which can impact human perception of colored objects and camera white balance. 

• A spectral radiance meter can be used to document luminous contrast, glare, off-angle-viewingluminance & color changes for displays, and verification of non-ionizing visible radiation 

requirements.

• Radiance and irradiance meter spectral ranges are typically 350 –780 nanometers, but investing in 

meter that goes to 1000 nanometers provides a means to document issues with near-infrared light 

sources that are typically used for line-of-site wireless sensor & communication suites.

• When developing beam patterns, goniophotometer testing can confirm beam pattern properties.

General lighting

Pre-sleep lighting

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Application

6

Task Lighting Design Considerations

Task analysis: cabin area and workstation illumination design are based on planned crew 

tasks and their visual task needs.

• Intensity/illumination: crew needs to be able to see in order to perform tasks. Different 

tasks require different levels of lamination, it can range from 20 lux for night activities, 

100-300 lux for nominal activities and to over 1000 lux for high precision activities. Refer 

to the Illumination Engineering Society Handbook for guidance.

• Color/chromaticity: certain experiments and indicator lights convey color-coded 

information and rely on color fidelity.

• Placement of light sources: work and living areas need to be illuminated. 

• Distribution of light/beam pattern: a light that is too tightly or broadly focused can 

interfere with mission duties.

• Characteristics of task area surface materials -reflectivity, absorptivity: especially 

important to consider if light glares off a surface.

• Behavioral health: circadian rhythm is largely dependent on lighting brightness and 

spectrum, and it plays a role in crew alertness/behavioral health. Blue light can be used 

in the “morning” to help wake the crew up, and red light can be used in the “evening” 

before bed to help promote melatonin production.

Task Lighting Examples

Task lighting is supplemental lighting which may be fixed or portable. Task lighting must be 

designed to support and be compatible with crew tasks. E.g., lighting directed at task 

surfaces without impeding crew task performance. Consider beam pattern, glare, control & 

dimming.

Example visual tasks and lighting design considerations

• Body waste & hygiene tasks—area lighting needed for locating and identifying hardware 

interfaces and supplies. More intense and positionable lighting needed for body and 

clothing inspection.

• Food prep—area lighting needed to locate and identify food in stowage, read 

preparation instructions, operate food warming or rehydration hardware, and clean 

food prep area and waste.

• See following page for extreme environment examples.

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Application

7

Extreme Environments

Extreme and critical lighting environments are those environments where high risks exist because of 

harsh lighting conditions with the added challenge of failures impacting human life, vehicle safety, 

and mission performance. The following list outlines typical scenarios and recommendations to 

mitigate risks:

• Window Viewing of Spacecraft Operations: Window observations are primarily impacted by 

glare from direct and indirect light sources from both sides of the window. Impacts can be 

mitigated through the use of system integration of surface reflectance, architectural shapes, and 

artificial light sources for planned viewing area.

• Crewed EVA Servicing of Spacecraft: EVA suits have lights, but the suit’s lighting system may not 

be sufficient to illuminate large areas for complicated servicing and exploration tasks. Additional 

spacecraft surface lighting increases visibility for both the crew and any remote monitoring of 

crewed activities.

• External Spacecraft Robotic Operations: Robotic operations heavily rely on embedded vision 

systems and remote camera monitoring. Lighting needs to be sufficient at both the end-effector 

worksite and from a larger distance to observe potential collision issues between robotic elbow 

joints and spacecraft structure. 

• Manual docking or planetary landing: Directed lighting is needed to locate and identify docking 

target and/or landing area surface features. Lighting for camera or electronic sensor views must 

accommodate and be compatible with selected hardware and consider environmental 

conditions of the target scene. 

• Lunar: The lunar lighting environment will have unforgiving perpetual glare and shadowing from 

collimated sunlight. All imagers requiring visible light for timely docking operations will need 

supplemental lighting to facilitate dynamic range and signal to noise ratios. 

These scenarios may require 

integrated testing with collimated 

sunlight; a solar simulator that can 

produce 125,000 lux at the task 

surface, with a narrow beam angle 

and a solar-type spectrum is 

beneficial.

Example of lunar surface lighting environment

Reference OCHMO-TB-001 Artemis 

Lighting Considerations Overview and 

OCHMO-TB-023 Extraterrestrial 

Surface Transport Vehicles (Rovers) 

for additional information.

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Application

8

White Light Chromaticity

The color of ambient lighting affects how other 

colors are perceived among both humans and 

cameras. To address this and the potential issues 

that could result from it, requirements were set 

for the solid-state lighting assembly on the ISS. 

ANSI has defined a range of “white” lights 

corresponding to a range of temperatures. 

Current limits for white lights in operational 

environments are set between 2700 K and 6500 K. 

These values are based on past ISS experience and 

technological capabilities.

Solid-State Lighting Assembly

Illumination Levels

Based on ISS experience, a series of illumination values were generated to meet the needs 

of various crewmember operations. The requirements in NASA-STD-3001 do not go beyond 

750 lux, which is standard for home or office lighting.

White light temperature spectrum

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Application

9

White Light Color Accuracy/Fidelity

Some tasks, such as a hydrazine test and various 

medical operations, require careful discernment of 

colors. Surrounding lighting can disturb these tasks 

if it prevents accurate color assessment. The 

Illuminating Engineering Society (IEM) has done 

extensive research into color accuracy and has 

developed IES TM-30, Method for Evaluating Light 

Sources Color Rendition methodology, which was 

found to be the highest quality source for defining 

lighting accuracy requirements. It evaluates the 

accuracy of several colors with an average numeric 

score, where 100 means perfect accuracy. 

IES TM-30 color fidelity test with 16 colors

Different color-sensitive tasks might require different levels of color fidelity. The necessary 

score can be determined by a task analysis. It should be also be noted that due to the final 

score being based on several scores, the same score can give different results. The images 

below score the same on the color fidelity test, but the one on the left appears redenhanced while the one on the right appears desaturated. 

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Application

10 12/19/2023

Rev C

Lighting Safety

The sources of light utilized in the lighting design system must also be assessed for their 

safety to prevent ocular and skin injury caused by overexposure to visible, infrared (IR), 

near-IR, and UV artificial light sources. Examples of artificial light sources include:

• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

• Illumination lamps

• Ambient lightning

• Display screens

• Welding and carbon arcs, etc. 

Exposure to visible light sources whose luminance does not exceed 10,000 Nits is safe (1 Nit 

= 1 Candela per meter squared; 1 Nit = 1cd/m2). Exposure to visible light sources whose 

luminance exceeds 10,000 Nits and is below 10,000,000 Nits is considered of marginal 

severity. Therefore, the ACGIH limits for visible light are required only for artificial sources 

exceeding 10,000,000 Nits as per Table 6.8-4—ACGIH Requirements Applicability. The ACGIH 

requirement compliance and pass criteria are summarized in Table 6.8-5—ACGIH 

Requirement Compliance and Pass Criteria. Although not explicitly stated in ACGIH, the 

assumed viewing distance is 10 cm since this is the minimum focus length of the human eye 

and thus the largest optical power/hazard potential on to the retina. ACGIH pass criteria for 

visible light account for the 0.25 seconds human aversion response (i.e., time to look away 

and/or blink). However, the protection offered by the aversion response will not occur if the 

light intensity is great enough to produce damage in less than 0.25 seconds, as explained in 

the ACGIH. Note: Older than 2014 versions of the ACGIH TLVs cannot be utilized due to 

substantial differences in hazard functions. 

[V2 6117] Artificial Light Exposure Limits for Ultraviolet (UV) Sources The system shall limit crew 

exposure from Visible, Infrared (IR), near-IR and Ultraviolet (UV) artificial light sources (180 nm to 

3000 nm) at or below the threshold limit value (TLV) as calculated per ACGIH version 2022 or later.

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 

Full containment and/or applied shielding are acceptable methods of risk reduction; however, need 

to assume worst case hazard severity (Catastrophic) and corresponding fault-tolerance 

requirements. Containment examples include the use of light-tight structures and enclosures to fully 

contain the light at the source. The applied shielding has to be placed between crewmember and 

the light source; examples include screens, optical filters, etc. 
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Back-Up

11 12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Rev B  Rev C

• Added additional information regarding safety 

considerations for lighting design.

Rev A  Rev B

• Updated information to be consistent with NASA-STD-3001 

Volume 1 Rev C and Volume 2 Rev D.

Original  Rev A

• Updated information to be consistent with NASA-STD-3001 

Volume 1 Rev C and Volume 2 Rev C.

Major Changes Between Revisions

12 12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Revision D

[V2 3006] Human-Centered Task Analysis Each human space flight program or project shall perform a 

human-centered task analysis to support systems and operations design. 

[V2 6117] Artificial Light Exposure Limits for Ultraviolet (UV) Sources The system shall limit crew 

exposure from Visible, Infrared (IR), near-IR and Ultraviolet (UV) artificial light sources (180 nm to 3000 

nm) at or below the threshold limit value (TLV) as calculated per ACGIH version 2022 or later.

[V2 8051] Illumination Levels For interior architectures and exterior operations that do not include the

presence of orbital sunlight, the system shall provide illumination levels to support the range of expected 

crew tasks, at minimum, per Table 8.7-1—Surface Illuminance Levels, that accommodate both human 

observers and remote camera systems.

[V2 8103] Environmental Lighting Attenuation The integrated system architecture shall provide 

countermeasures to attenuate environmental lighting and complement existing active lighting 

architecture.

[V2 8104] Task-Specific Exterior Lighting for Operational Areas Partially or Fully Lit by Sunlight For 

operational areas that include shadowed areas and areas illuminated by the Sun and celestial bodies, the 

system shall provide passive and/or active solutions that reduce the contrast within shadowed areas of 

worksites/tasks to within 2 orders of magnitude of the predicted maximum surface luminance of objects, 

that accommodate both human observers and remote camera systems.

[V2 8105] Navigation and Wayfinding (Exterior) The system shall provide luminous powered and passive 

indicators that assist with proximity, navigation, and object recognition for validation of targets critical to 

the surface operation.

[V2 8053] Emergency Lighting The system shall provide emergency lighting (interior and exterior) to 

maintain visibility in the event of a general power failure.

[V2 8059] White Lighting Chromaticity Interior and exterior lighting intended for operational 

environments requiring human/camera color vision shall have a chromaticity that falls within the 

chromaticity gamut for white light for the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) range of 2700 K to 6500 K 

as defined by ANSI C78-377, Electric Lamps—Specifications for the Chromaticity of Solid State Lighting 

Products.

[V2 8060] White Lighting Color Accuracy Interior and exterior lighting intended for human operational 

environments requiring photopic vision accuracy shall have a score of 90 ±10 on a color fidelity metric 

that is appropriate for the utilized lighting technology, as designated by the Color Fidelity Metric (Rf) 

defined by IES TM-30, Method for Evaluating Light Sources Color Rendition methodology.

[V2 8055] Physiological Effects of Light (Circadian Entrainment) The system shall provide the levels of 

light to support the physiological effects of light in accordance with Table 8.7-2-Physiological Lighting 

Specifications. 

[V2 8056] Lighting Controls Lighting systems shall have on-off controls.

[V2 8057] Lighting Adjustability Interior lights shall be adjustable (dimmable).

[V2 8058] Glare Prevention The integrated system architecture including surrounding surfaces, support

equipment, visualization tools, and supporting lighting systems shall work in conjunction to minimize 

visibility and eye-safety impacts from direct and indirect glare.

Referenced Technical Requirements

13

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Revision D

[V2 8106] Extraterrestrial Surface Transport Vehicle (ESTV) Dashboard and Control Lighting The system 

shall provide active lighting and attenuation of solar light for manual controls (e.g., unpressurized surface 

transport vehicle joystick controls, switches and dashboard) and display screens to be visible in all

potential natural light levels, including complete darkness.

[V2 10048] Visual Display Parameters The system shall provide IVA displays that meet the visual display 

requirements in Table 10.4-2—Visual Display Parameters.

[V2 5051] Legibility The system shall provide crew interfaces that are legible under expected operating

conditions.

Referenced Technical Requirements

15

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website

Artist's illustration of two astronauts on the Moon. Photo: NASA

12/19/2023

Rev C
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-026 Lighting Design

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Reference List

15

1. Illumination Engineering Society Handbook, 2010 or latest edition. https://www.ies.org/standards/iesstandards-cross-reference/?_ga=2.4500787.145208125.1640725049-1965823099.1640725049

2. NASA-STD-3000 Man-System Integration Standards. https://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/

3. Human Integration Design Handbook (HIDH). (2014). NASA/SP-2010-3407/REV1. 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/human_integration_design_handbook_revision_1

.pdf

4. Addressing Challenges to the Design & Test of Operational Lighting Environments for the International 

Space Station, Clark, T.A., Presentation 03/2016.

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Rev C