Psychological Aspects

ASEN 5016 Lecture 28: Psychological Aspects of Spaceflight (and related ground-based analogs)

Objectives

1. Describe psychological issues associated with space flight (and ground based analogs)

2. List various types of stress factors associated with spaceflight

3. Discuss group dynamics and the effect on spacefarers

4. Discuss means to help reduce the impact of these factors on the crew and mission

Stress and Coping

Space flight is risky business

~1 in 300 predicted odds of loss of vehicle (Ca. 1999)

2 in 122 Shuttle mission failures

Physical /mental environment

Acceleration

Vibration

Confined living quarters

Complete dependence on life support technologies

Awareness of adverse biomedical effects

Separation from Earth (especially for a Mars mission)

Very Structured life

Demanding work schedules

Perceived lack of control

Low light levels

‘Asthenia’ or ‘neurasthenia’

Separation from friends and family (starts with strenuous preflight training schedule)

Interaction with the same people day in and day out can lead to difficult situations

Isolated Confined Environment (ICE)

Paradox of ‘too much and too little’ distance from (too many and too few) people

Various analogs used to assess this issue

Stress and Coping

Stress management and personal coping skills needed

The role of peer and psychological support groups

Possible need for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment facilities

Psychology – pre-flight tools

Screening and selection

Screen in vs. screen out

Little validation data

Habitability Consultation

Merging engineering with Human Factors

Volumetric layout / architectural considerations

Group Dynamics

Space crews are teams

Good communication is critical

Crew size is an important factor in long-term social stability

How many?

Odd vs. even numbers?

Age, gender and ethnic diversity leads to a more balanced population

Cultural differences

International issues – language and cultural barriers can be overcome by cultural sensitivity, education and travel

Training and preparation

Basic to mission unique

Individual and team aspects

Short vs. long duration flights

Crew makeup

Deployment support

We vs. them issues

Communication and rotation

Psychology – in-flight tools

Training and strategies

Conflict resolution skills

Problem solving

Refresh training capabilities

Continuing education

Traditional support

Communication with friends and family

Leisure time activities

News and information

Tracking trends

Voice stress analysis, video analysis, error tracking, sleep, cognitive function, even body mass

Intervention / Consultation

Post-flight pressures

Check out “Return to Earth” by Buzz Aldrin…

Guest Lecture (from March 2003): Taber MacCallum, a member of the first crew who lived and worked continuously inside the Biosphere 2 for two years from 1991-93.

The Biosphere 2 project was conceived in 1984, at a time when bio-regenerative life support systems were more of a concept than a practical reality. The term ‘Biosphere’ was introduced principally by Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945). ‘Bios’ experiments conducted in the former USSR later demonstrated the feasibility of using supplemental bio-regeneration for life support. Acronyms like CELSS - Closed (or Controlled) Ecological Life Support System - and BLSS - Biological Life Support System - have since become increasingly adopted within NASA. Biosphere 2 (‘Biosphere 1’ being the Earth) serves to enable research applicable to environmental management on Earth and supporting human life in space. It is a sealed, self-sustaining, complex ecological system spanning 3 acres and containing 7 distinct biomes that is open to energy and information exchange, but materially closed. MacCallum was responsible for the design, implementation and operation of various analytical laboratories and the Research and Development Center, and also acted as Safety Officer and Assistant Medical Officer for the Resident Team.

Taber MacCallum is the President of Paragon Space Development Corp., a space and environmental technologies firm located in Tucson, AZ. He was Principal Investigator on three experiments flown on the Space Shuttle and Mir Space Station. MacCallum has been involved in numerous analytical efforts, including a Soviet BioSatellite project and a marine microbial sampling project. He is presently occupied with the design of life support and thermal control systems for small manned spacecraft, as well as hazardous environment life support technology development for US Navy divers.

See also: The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2 by Jane Poynter

Additional Reading:

Physical and Psychological Challenges of Space Travel: An Overview, Michael G. Ziegler and Janice V. Meck, Psychosomatic Medicine 63:859-861 (2001)

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/full/63/6/859

Human Interactions in Space http://www.kanas1.org/