Psychology of Space Exploration
Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he developed human factors recommen-
dations related to the International Space Station. He is currently an assistant pro-
fessor of human factors and systems at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in
Daytona Beach, Florida.
Kring serves as president of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme
Environments, an interdisciplinary forum for scientists, operational personnel,
and students with an interest and expertise in the area of human performance
and behavior in complex, high-stress environments. He also serves as editor of
the Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments and is codirector of the
Team Simulation and Gaming Laboratory at Embry-Riddle.
Kring has over 30 publications and 50 conference presentations representing
a wide range of research interests including performance in extreme and stressful
settings; the effects of cohesion, trust, and communication on team performance;
crew composition and interactions for long-duration spaceflight; aerospace human
factors; distributed team performance; and training applications of simulation and
virtual reality.
Gloria R. Leon, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of psychology in the Department
of Psychology at the University of Minnesota as of June 2006. Prior to that, she par-
ticipated in both the clinical and personality doctoral training areas of the depart-
ment and was an adjunct professor in the Institute of Child Development at the
University of Minnesota. She received her doctorate in mental health psychol-
ogy from the University of Maryland. She was appointed assistant professor in the
Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 1974; in addition to her
teaching and research activities, she served as assistant, associate, and, for 10 years,
director of the clinical psychology graduate program. She has conducted extensive
space analog research on personality, behavioral functioning, and team processes
of different polar expedition groups, studying teams composed of single-gender,
mixed-gender, and cross-national members. Leon has also carried out research on
groups who have experienced traumatic situations, including Vietnam combat and
nurse veterans and those impacted by the Chernobyl disaster. Leon continues to
be active in research and national and international activities in space and disaster
areas. She has been a member of several NASA committees and workshops focused
on behavioral health and human performance in space, NASA peer review panels,