Interpersonal issues in space: Shuttle/Mir and beyond.

Abstract

Anecdotal reports from space and results from space analogue experiments on Earth have suggested a number of interpersonal issues that may negatively affect crewmember performance and well-being. We examined some of these issues in a questionnaire survey of 54 astronauts and cosmonauts who had flown in space and in a 135-d Mir Space Station simulation study in Moscow. We also conducted a NASA-funded study involving missions to the Mir Space Station, where 5 U.S. astronauts, 8 Russian cosmonauts, and 42 U.S. and 16 Russian mission control subjects completed weekly mood and group climate questionnaires. There were few findings that supported hypothesized changes in tension and group behavior in terms of time on-orbit. Crewmembers reported decreasing leader support in the second half of their mission, and U.S. astronauts gave evidence for a novelty effect in the first few weeks. There was strong support for our hypothesized displacement of tension and negative emotions from crewmembers to mission control personnel and from mission control personnel to management. There were several significant differences in response between Americans vs. Russians and crewmembers vs. mission control personnel. These findings have training countermeasure implications for future on-orbit space missions. During expeditionary type space missions, such as a trip to Mars, additional interpersonal stressors will need to be dealt with. These include increased crew autonomy, more dependence on onboard technical resources, communication delays with the Earth, increased isolation and monotony, and the Earth-out-of-view phenomenon.