Psychological Considerations in Astronaut Selection and Crew Support for Long Duration Space Missions

• Main Author: Leon, Gloria R.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: UND Scholarly Commons 2014
• Subjects: Greenland; Sirius
• Online Access: https://commons.und.edu/ss-colloquium/35; https://commons.und.edu/context/ss-colloquium/article/1046/type/native/viewcontent

The psychological criteria used to select international crews for lunar and Mars exploration missions has been a subject of considerable discussion; strategies for maintaining optimal functioning during the mission also present considerable challenges. A change in emphasis in the initial astronaut applicant screening process is needed, from ruling out psychopathology to identifying adaptive personality traits to enhance individual and group performance over an extended period of time. During the mission, psychological dysfunction and crew conflicts among highly diverse mixed gender and cultural crews need to be anticipated and dealt with. Computer-interactive intervention programs show considerable potential to reduce intra-and interpersonal problems during the mission, and may be more “consumer friendly” in a space agency culture in which disclosure of personal issues can have negative consequences. Studies of polar expedition teams as an analog of planetary exploration can inform about adaptive personality traits and decision-making processes in extreme environments. Findings from a longitudinal study of the Danish Sirius Patrol teams operating in Greenland indicated the importance of systematic interpersonal communication training prior to the start of a long-duration mission. In addition, considering the 2.5 year length of a Mars mission, it is possible that significant negative events in the home environment may occur that have a deleterious effect on work performance and interpersonal interactions with other crew members. https://commons.und.edu/ss-colloquium/1046/thumbnail.jpg