2014-10-222014-10-222014-07-13978-0-692-38220-2ICES-2014-073http://hdl.handle.net/2346/59706Tucson, ArizonaHarry W. Jones, NASA Ames Research Center, USAThe 44th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Tuscon, Arizona, USA on 13 July 2014 through 17 July 2014.Goodhart’s law states that metrics do not work. Metrics become distorted when used and they deflect effort away from more important goals. These well-known and unavoidable problems occurred when the closure and system mass metrics were used to manage life support research. The intent of life support research should be to develop flyable, operable, reliable systems, not merely to increase life support system closure or to reduce its total mass. It would be better to design life support systems to meet the anticipated mission requirements and user needs. Substituting the metrics of closure and total mass for these goals seems to have led life support research to solve the wrong problems.application/pdfengPresentation