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Writing First left-handed primate on the Moon? First in space? got me thinking. The first left-handed astronaut may "break a barrier" but not all barrier-breakings result in an improvement of the system or removal of a bias or a lowering of the barrier for those that follow.

So I'd like to ask:

Question: Are there examples of spaceflight equipment being redesigned to remove right hand bias? (To make it less difficult to use left-handed)

uhoh
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    Are there examples of right handed bias in spacecraft in the first place? – GdD Oct 20 '21 at 08:08
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    @GdD are there examples of people saying there have been? (this isn't one) – uhoh Oct 20 '21 at 09:03
  • Maybe you should ask that before asking this question. – GdD Oct 20 '21 at 09:21
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    @GdD I've asked the question to which I'm interested in an answer. You're welcome to ask the other. It seems less interesting/notable to me, but others may find that more interesting. So I'd say go for it! – uhoh Oct 20 '21 at 09:33
  • I don't actually think it's likely to be that much of an issue @uhoh, I'm a lefty and a pilot, and I've never found any right hand bias in an aircraft. Which hand you use for things is dependent on whether you are in the left or the right seat. Breakers, switches and knobs seem to be squeezed in wherever there was room. This is why I'm suggesting you figure out if right hand bias is even a thing. – GdD Oct 20 '21 at 10:08
  • @GdD anecdotal answers may go back as far as the first simulators before the first crewed flights, or as broad as some contractor-designed item somewhere on the ISS. For now let's see what happens. See for example Figs 3-8 and 3-17 in LASER RANGING RETRO-REFLECTOR (LRRR) FAMILIARIZATION MANUAL ALSEP - MT - 05 (Rev. A) – uhoh Oct 20 '21 at 10:41
  • @GdD The astronaut had to adjust the alignment of the lunar laser retroreflector array by viewing the Sun compass and level so they had to do some careful alignment of the system while standing in a certain position to see the indicators while looking downwards through an Apollo-style helmet. Is there really zero chance that the first ones might have been less than neutral? – uhoh Oct 20 '21 at 10:45
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    @GdD: I'm guessing there's at least some initial experience during the R&D phase where they encountered situations like right-handed tools that don't work as intended for left-handed users - so it'd be interesting to see what considerations they may have had to make, even if "Simple" spaceflight equipment (i.e. ballpoint pens, etc.). – Alexander The 1st Oct 21 '21 at 02:16
  • @AlexanderThe1st that's just the kind of story (with presumably a happy ending) that I'm looking for, thanks! – uhoh Oct 21 '21 at 02:47
  • @uhoh: if there is bias, it would presumably be easier to find that than correction of such bias. Given a known bias, would then make it easier to find out if there were corrective redesign done for that bias. If there is no known instance of bias, then finding corrective redesign will be impossible, regardless of how large the corrective redesign was. – jmoreno Nov 26 '23 at 04:47

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