Space Psychology FAQWhat personal psychological problems do we expect future space travelers will have to deal with?
What group problems will future space travelers have to deal with?
Have psychological problems contributed to any incidents so far in space?There has been little evidence of serious conflict in past missions. Historically, most of the conflict has taken place between the crew and mission control. However, boredom and depression have been reported on many spaceflights. From my reading, I've found that "One Cosmonaut had a transcendent experience which led him to make a dangerous, unauthorized spacewalk. One Skylab Astronaut erroneously changed the Skylab attitude control system while suffering from psychological problems." Presumably, the specifics of these incidents are classified.How can a space agency select a crew that will get along?The psychiatric evaluations that NASA uses now try to detect any personality disorders, "assess a person’s capacity to function on assigned roles," and single out people who can perform effectively under the stress of spaceflight.It has been suggested that selection be modified to choose people who have shown themselves able to function in confined, isolated environments with few other people. In addition, some researches advocate training that would address social sensitivity (to different cultures, genders, etc.), enhance communications skills, and teach group compromise and leadership skills. What are some situations on Earth that scientists have studied that are analogous to long-duration spaceflight?
What’s the status on research about psychology and sociology of small groups isolated for a long time?NASA Johnson Space Center is studying current space missions, Antarctic expeditions, and crew in their Life Support Integration Facility to research what personalities make up a good crew, the kinds of problems that can be prevented, countermeasures to help people get along, possible benefits of crew autonomy, and the interactions between crew and mission control.What have they found out so far? Well, if there's any consensus, it seems to be that space psychology is no simple matter. The Russians have been way ahead of the United States in understanding crew interactions. They have found that depression-like asthenic reactions tend to occur in the long, monotonous midsections of their space missions. (Think about how this happened in Red Mars aboard the Ares.) NASA might consider more psychological support to astronauts on the ISS. U.S. Naval submarines that are underwater for long periods of time generally have aboard a medical specialist who is a trained psychiatric counselor. The Soviet/Russian space program provided Mir cosmonauts with psychological support before, during, and after their spaceflights; sent resupply capsules with personal items for the cosmonauts; and took an interest in the ergonomics and all-around pleasantness of Mir, all in an effort to make space more habitable. [Although, from what I've seen and heard, I wonder to what extent they employed any techniques for making Mir "plesasant."] Antarctic research seems to suggest that the "right stuff" for future astronauts might include introversion. Apparently, extroverts suffer more than introverts from a lack of outside stimulation. The results regarding gender are mixed: in some cases, the introduction of females into a previously all-male group reduced conflict, and sometimes it increased it. (All-female groups had less conflict than all-male groups, though.) NASA has taken a "hands-off" (in the figurative sense!) approach to the issue of sex aboard space stations. Where did you learn this stuff? Where I can I find out more?See:
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