Psychology of Space Exploration

Psychology of Space Exploration

INTRODUCTION

“Once, I was evaluating astronaut applicants” says psychiatrist

Nick Kanas. “I asked them to give me some examples of things

that might cause stress.” One applicant, a test pilot, recalled the

time he was flying an experimental aircraft and it spun out of con-

trol. As the plane spiraled down, he took out his manual, calmly

thumbed through it, and figured out how to pull the plane to

safety. “His ability to temporarily control his emotions was strik-

ing,” laughs Kanas.^1

Fully aware of astronauts’ remarkable strengths, Kanas also knows that many
physical and psychological stressors can pose risks to safety, performance, and qual-
ity of life.^2 Some of these stressors are associated with flight: riding atop a rocket;
rapid acceleration and deceleration; somewhat primitive living conditions; iso-
lation from family and friends; close confinement with other people; and the
ever-present specter of a collision, system failure, or other disaster. Other types of
stressors come from the astronaut’s career. From the earliest days of the space pro-
gram, astronauts have served as societal exemplars, living under intense public
scrutiny; carried heavy workloads on Earth as in space; and undergone prolonged
absences from home for training, flight, and other purposes. They must withstand
the typical hassles of trying to succeed within large bureaucracies, worry over flight
assignments, and readjust to their families when they return to Earth.^3 J. Kass,
R. Kass, and I. Samaltedinov describe how some of this may seem to an astronaut:

1. “How Astronauts Get Along,” Science@NASA, 21 October 2002, available at http://
   science.msfc.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/21oct_getalong.htm (accessed 29 March 2008).


2. N. Kanas, “Psychosocial Factors Affecting Simulated and Actual Space Missions,”
   Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine 56, no. 8 (August 1985): 806–811; N. Kanas,
   “Psychosocial Support for Cosmonauts,” Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine 62, no. 4
   (August 1991): 353–355; N. Kanas, V. P. Salnitskiy, J. B. Ritsher, V. I. Gushin, D. S. Weiss, S.
   A. Saylor, O. P. Kozerenko, and C. R. Marmar, “Human Interactions in Space: ISS vs. Shuttle/
   Mir,” Acta Astronautica 59 (2006): 413–419.


3. W. E. Sipes and S. T. Vander Ark, “Operational Behavioral Health and Performance
   Resources for International Space Station Crews and Families,” Aviation, Space, and
   Environmental Medicine 76, no. 6, sec. II (June 2005): B36–B41.