Behavioral Healtha reality decades ago. As Connors and her associates wrote in 1986, “The Russians
have experienced longer spaceflights than their American counterparts and have
given considerable attention to ways of maintaining individuals’ psychologi-
cal health and high morale in space . . . . In the Soviet Union, the Group for
Psychological Support is an acknowledged and welcomed component of the ground
team. Concern over such issues as intragroup compatibility and the effects of bore-
dom on productivity seem to be actively studied by cosmonauts and psychologists
alike. There appears to be little if any loss of status associated with confirmation of
psychological or social problems associated with confinement in space.”^56
Thus, Russians had to confront in the 1970s issues that became pressing for
Americans two decades later. As a result, when looking for models for a psycholog-
ical support program, NASA turned to the Russian program to support cosmonauts
on Mir.^57 It is interesting that America’s international partners in space—European
as well as Japanese—share the Russians’ interest in spaceflight psychology.^58
ASTRONAUT SELECTION
NASA, chartered as a civilian space agency, initially intended to select
Mercury astronauts from a relatively broad range of explorers: military and com-
mercial aviators; mountain climbers; polar explorers; bathysphere operators; and
other fit, intelligent, highly motivated individuals who had demonstrated capabili-
ties for venturing into dangerous new areas. Strong pressure from the White House
limited the pool to military test pilots.^59 This was a group of accomplished fliers,
many of whom had braved death during war. They brought with them the sharp
wits, relentless motivation, and strong emotional control that characterize pilots
who are willing to push themselves and their aircraft to (and sometimes beyond)
- M. M. Connors, A. A. Harrison, and F. R. Akins, “Psychology in the Resurgent Space
Program,” American Psychologist 41, no. 8 (August 1986): 906–913. - 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, sect. II (June 2005): B3. - Santy, Choosing the Right Stuff.
- Ibid.