CREW MEMBER AND CREW-GROUND INTERACTION DURING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
MISSIONS (INTERACTIONS)
Research Area: Human Behavior and Performance
Expeditions: 2-9
Principal Investigator(s): ● Nick A. Kanas, MD, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center and
University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco,
California
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Weekly questionnaires are completed to identify and define important interpersonal factors
that may impact the performance of the crew and ground support personnel during
International Space Station (ISS) missions. Results are used to improve the ability of future crew
members to interact safely and effectively with each other and ground support personnel. The
results may also be used to improve methods for crew selection, training, and in-flight support.
EARTH BENEFITS
Results from this study help to improve the behavioral performance of people living and
working under similar isolated conditions here on Earth.
SPACE BENEFITS
The Interactions studies are expected to yield information about the importance of language
and dialect commonality and the relationships of crew heterogeneity and cultural comfort to
crew tension and cohesion. Emphasis on culture and language is included on the ISS where
there are more international interactions. Identification and definition of these important
interpersonal factors leads to improved methods for crew selection, training, in-flight support,
and transitioning back to society insuring successful space missions.
RESULTS
Long-duration stays aboard an orbital space station represent but one step in the evolution of
human space exploration, which also aims at much more ambitious endeavors such as an
outpost on the moon or an expedition to Mars, and these can produce serious psychological
and interpersonal consequences. After reviewing the body of behavioral research results for
space crew members, the International Academy of Astronautics Study Group on Psychology
and Culture in Long-Duration Space Missions issued a final report outlining a set of
recommendations for long-duration future human space missions, including both transit and
planetary surface operations on the moon, Mars, and beyond. This information is designed to
provide guidelines for astronaut selection and training, in-flight monitoring and support, and
postflight recovery and re-adaptation. (1) Group survival training should be considered since
crew members had mentioned its cohesive effect on a team. (2) Future spaceflight crew
members should train together in flight operations. If they can better know each other and
understand their strong and weak points, they can learn to solve problems in space. The longer
they train together, the smoother their future interactions will be. (3) Training should also
involve people from mission control to enhance the bonding and improve the communication