Wireless Monitoring of Changes in Crew Relations during Long-Duration Mission Simulation.

Bernd Johannes,Yuri A Bubeev,Jörn Rittweger,Eduard G Savchenko,Vyacheslav P Salnitski,Carole Tafforin,Boris V Morukov,David F Dinges,Mathias Basner,Alla G Vinokhodova,Anna E Artyukhova,Alexej S Sitev,Peter G Roma

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134814

Abstract

Group structure and cohesion along with their changes over time play an important role in the success of missions where crew members spend prolonged periods of time under conditions of isolation and confinement. Therefore, an objective system for unobtrusive monitoring of crew cohesion and possible individual stress reactions is of high interest. For this purpose, an experimental wireless group structure (WLGS) monitoring system integrated into a mobile psychophysiological system was developed. In the presented study the WLGS module was evaluated separately in six male subjects (27–38 years old) participating in a 520-day simulated mission to Mars. Two days per week, each crew member wore a small sensor that registered the presence and distance of the sensors either worn by the other subjects or strategically placed throughout the isolation facility. The registration between two sensors was on average 91.0% in accordance. A correspondence of 95.7% with the survey video on day 475 confirmed external reliability. An integrated score of the “crew relation time index” was calculated and analyzed over time. Correlation analyses of a sociometric questionnaire (r = .35-.55, p< .05) and an ethological group approach (r = .45-.66, p < 05) provided initial evidence of the method's validity as a measure of cohesion when taking behavioral and activity patterns into account (e.g. only including activity phases in the afternoon). This confirms our assumption that the registered amount of time spent together during free time is associated with the intensity of personal relationships.

Highlights

Team work has become a central issue in a variety of professions, e.g. in business [1, 2], for fire fighters [3], in the military [4,5,6], during space flight [7], overwintering in Antarctica [8, 9], in science [10], sports [11, 12]), and “countless other domains” [13]
wireless group structure (WLGS) data were obtained twice a week starting with mission day 15
Percentage and counts of correct and failed detections of location by the WLGS-system are given for mission day 475

Summary

Introduction

Team work has become a central issue in a variety of professions, e.g. in business [1, 2], for fire fighters [3], in the military [4,5,6], during space flight [7], overwintering in Antarctica [8, 9], in science [10], sports [11, 12]), and “countless other domains” [13]. The success of complex performance requires the functioning of entire teams rather than of individuals. During manned space flight small crews are exposed to long periods of autonomy, isolation, and confinement [14,15,16]. It is of paramount importance to ensure reliable crew performance and individual well-being for the success of long-duration space missions. Crew cohesion and its dynamics play a central role when coping with extreme physical, social and psychological conditions, with reduced communication, periods of high workload and periods of monotony and boredom. And successful operational interactions of all crew members are known to be very important under those conditions [17, 18]. Often “interpersonal problems among crew members of isolated and confined groups are inevitable” [19]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion