Human Interactions in Space: ISS versus Shuttle/Mir
- Paper number
IAC-05-A1.5.02
- Author
Dr. Nick Kanas, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Jennifer Boyd Ritsher, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Daniel S. Weiss, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Stephanie Saylor, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Charles Marmar, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Year
2005
- Abstract
PURPOSE. This paper will present findings from two multi-year NASA-funded studies of international long-duration missions to the Mir space station (Shuttle/Mir) and to the International Space Station (ISS). The new ISS study was designed to test a set of hypotheses analogous to those previously examined in the Shuttle/Mir study as well as to test additional hypotheses related to culture and language effects. These research questions were informed by early anecdotal reports from space and results from studies of space simulation missions on Earth. These sources suggested that group climate and leadership roles would vary over time and that negative emotions would be displaced from crewmembers to mission control personnel and from mission control personnel to management.
METHODOLOGY. In both studies, American and Russian astronauts, cosmonauts, and mission control personnel completed a weekly questionnaire that included items from the Profile of Mood States, the Group Environment Scale, and the Work Environment Scale. These measures included questions and subscales assessing group tension, cohesion, leadership roles, and displacement of negative emotions to an outside group. The instruments were completed four times before launch, weekly during the mission, and two times after the mission ended.
RESULTS. We successfully collected data from 88% (30/34) of the astronauts and cosmonauts who flew on the missions potentially available for our studies. During the Shuttle/Mir program, we studied 5 American astronauts and 8 Russian cosmonauts, who gave us data on 70% of the possible in-flight data collection sessions. During this same period, we also collected data from a comparison group of 42 American and 16 Russian mission control personnel. During the ISS program, we studied 8 astronauts and 9 cosmonauts, who gave us data on 83% of all possible in-flight sessions. During this same time frame, we also collected data from a comparison group of 108 American and 20 Russian mission control personnel. The data from our new ISS study have just been received and entered, and we will present the results and compare the findings with those from our previous Shuttle/Mir study.
CONCLUSION. We anticipate that the pattern of findings across the two studies will illuminate general features of the on-orbit environment as they impact on human interactions, as well as features that appear to be more specific to particular mission profiles (i.e., Mir vs. ISS). Ramifications for countermeasure development will be discussed.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-A1.5.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.