Afterword
From the Past to the Future
Gro Mjeldheim Sandal
Department of Psychosocial Science
University of Bergen
Gloria R. Leon
Department of Psychology
University of Minnesota
ABSTRACT
Although NASA has been criticized for many years for neglecting psycho-
logical issues in research and operations, the past several years have witnessed an
increased recognition of the importance of psychosocial and cultural factors in the
success and safety of human space missions. The challenges associated with future
long-duration missions involving extreme environments, isolation, and greater crew
autonomy as the distance from Mission Control increases require effective counter-
measures to mitigate the risk for behavioral health problems, psychiatric disorders,
and impairments in effective crew interactions and task performance. International
space missions also underscore the need to understand the potential safety implica-
tions of individual and cultural differences at a national, organizational, and profes-
sional level that involve both space crews and ground-based personnel. While the
research literature on space psychology has increased over the last few years, many
unanswered questions remain that require additional investigation.
INTRODUCTION
Since the first solo flight of a human being into Earth orbit, human spaceflight
has undergone significant changes in terms of crew composition, mission dura-
tion, and complexity. Even the major achievement of the establishment of the