Canadian space psychology: The future may be almost here.

Abstract

It has been just over 41 years since Senior Lieutenant Yuri Gagarin of Soviet Air Force became first human to fly into space; 44 years since NASA established by an act of U.S. Congress; and 13 years since creation of Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Using Soviet/Russian and American space vehicles, more than 270 astronauts(1) from around world - including eight Canadians - have flown in space. final frontier has fascinated billions of people who only touched it through their reading or television watching. One of most frequently asked questions on websites of both NASA and CSA is, How do I become an astronaut?Aside from requirements of training, education, physical health and fitness, and a record of outstanding accomplishments in a variety of activities, one common answer to that question is: Pass psychological assessments. The Soviet space program pioneered these, as it pioneered human space flight itself. Gagarin, for example, was subjected to extremely rigorous training: physical, mental, and psychological. He underwent long periods in a sensory deprivation chamber, experiments with weightlessness, endurance in heat chambers and test flights under stress with every reaction monitored. One test to solve difficult mathematical equations while a loudspeaker blasted out answers (Russian Archives Online, 2002). Similar ordeals were faced by NASA's astronaut candidates (Santy, 1994). The process has also added a phrase to our everyday vocabulary, the right stuff, (Wolfe, 1978), which is that happy confluence of practical intelligence, emotional imperturbability, coolness under stress, physical toughness, rapid decision-making ability, courage, and indomitability that selectors were trying to find.The history of human beings in space is now in a gradual, but crucial, transition. It is evolving from Cold War competition to worldwide collaboration; from up-and-down missions, lasting a few hours or days, to weeks in Space Shuttle and months on a space station, and soon to years spent completing an expedition to Mars; from male astronauts with a background as military test and combat pilots to crews comprised of both sexes and a wide variety of occupations, nationalities, cultures, languages, and ages.The issues to be faced have shifted accordingly. With a few - although important - exceptions, we have answered most of questions about how to keep people alive and physically healthy in space, even for long periods. What we are less certain about is their psychological and social reactions to changed conditions of space flight, and relevant agencies are beginning to realize that this issue ranks with physical and medical dangers of space as a difficulty that must be overcome prior to extended human exploration of space. Changes in perceptual, motor, and cognitive functioning occur in microgravity; sleep is disrupted in almost all participants, leading to changes in mood and performance; prolonged, repetitive, and fatiguing physical exercise is needed to counteract muscle deconditioning and loss of bone density, but at same time exerts a price in mental and physical energy; and so on.There is considerable anecdotal evidence that problems have arisen as a result of prolonged confinement and other space capsule features involved in some missions and as a consequence of factors having to do with crew diversity. The former include lapses of attention, failures or refusals to carry out scheduled work, irritability toward crewmates and/or mission control staff, and a variety of individual mood and adjustment problems; latter have been manifested in derogatory comments and discriminatory behaviour on basis of other crewmates' sex, national origin, or professional specialty, and misunderstandings or negative feelings because of linguistic inadequacy or cultural differences. The interaction of two factors may exacerbate their joint impact. …