Playfulness as Strategic Tool: Dual purpose play system as psychosocial countermeasure and skill maintenance tool for long duration space flight
- Paper number
IAC-08.A1.1.14
- Author
Mrs. Sandra Haeuplik-Meusburger, UT Vienna, Austria
- Coauthor
Dr. Manuela Aguzzi, ALTEC S.p.A., Germany
- Coauthor
Ms. Regina Peldszus, Kingston University, United Kingdom
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Spaceflight and especially long duration exploratory missions put strain on the human entity - physically, psychologically and socially. Subjected to boredom and monotony within a confined environment, the risk of personal withdrawal from the group and the high decrement of alertness levels are only two undesirable effects. In order to ensure mission success, especially with respect to the outbound flight segment followed by demanding planetary operations, it is essential to maintain skills related to cognitive and behavioral performance. Traditionally, astronauts have drawn on leisure activities imported mostly from Earth – such as playing guitar, piano, golf, frisbee or with food and drinks. Not only in the space context, playing acts as catalyst for personal and interpersonal tension, stimulant of creativity, and exercise of fine motor skills. This paper proposes an experimental concept for a game system that inherits playfulness with the dual purpose of psychosocial countermeasure and skill maintenance tool. Inspired by popular and common strategic board games, the system consists of a modular set of geometrical bodies that are strategically connected in clusters. Solitary and social use of the system as a building set or strategic game encourages problem solving skills, facilitates crew interaction, and exercises manual dexterity in reduced or microgravity conditions. Aside from its didactic and play value, the resulting structure presents a malleable artifact of creative expression. An alternative use in the run-up to interplanetary missions, and to acquire a routine in handling of small objects related to payload and housekeeping, the system can be used as a universal, familiarization tool during parabolic and orbital flights. Following a brief review of games played during missions, their impact and related research issues, the paper outlines the concept of the play system and its cognitive and behavioral benefits. It iterates production process and material choice of the modules, points out future possibilities of development and integration of additional features, and presents a ready-to-use prototype for demonstration on usability.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)