How do the Wonders of Human Spaceflight Impact an Astronaut’s Psyche?

    Astronauts have the unique opportunity to explore space and peer down on the planet, home to the society they know and the abundance of necessary resources to keep them alive. As these astronauts look down on the plentiful space available on Earth, these astronauts reside in a compact spacecraft with little privacy from other crew members. The conditions that these astronauts endure, are known as Isolated and Confined Extreme (ICE) environments. Explicitly, ICE environments are ones in which an individual is removed from society and placed in a restricted space, often for long durations of time ¹. Astronauts have been exposed to these extreme environments since the 1960s with the beginning of the Mercury Space Program. Exposure to these environments is not a new phenomenon; however, with an increased drive for exploration and research in space, going farther and farther from Earth, the psychological impacts of exposure to ICEs has become a significant area to guide the research of scientists in multiple discipline areas. 

What is the Space ICE Environment? 

The inside of the International Space Station is monochromatic and
crowded.  Image by TheGuardian.com

Each space program throughout history (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Mir, Shuttle, etc.) adapted their capsules in such ways that resulted in slight variations in ICE environment characteristics. The research on ICE conditions and their impact on humans is currently being done with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The International Space Station is in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), approximately 400 km (240 miles) above the surface of the Earth. The open square footage in the ISS equates to the size of an average six-bedroom house in the United States. With much of that available space being dedicated to science experiments, exercise equipment, and storage, this leaves significantly less room for the crew, which can range from three to thirteen people ². The characteristics of this ICE environment include cluttered and often monochromatic quarters, microgravity, persistent machinery noise, minimal access to privacy, and compact sleep accommodations ³.  

Psychological Impacts of ICE Environments

 

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 
Image by NASA.gov

Observations of the psychological impacts of ICE environments has been well documented during the entirety of the United States’ space program and their respective missions. The consecutive duration of ICE exposure on these missions ranged from hours to just under a year. It has been observed during these missions that symptoms of anxiety and depression became worse ⁴. Additional changes observed in the astronauts included: memory deterioration, learning difficulties, fear conditioning (similar to PTSD responses), as well as attention and vigilance decline ⁵. These conditions, in tandem with the demanding work assignments and inconsistent sleep schedules, strongly affected the productivity of the crew members. Interpersonal relationships were also impacted by the observed increased irritability of the crew in the confined space and being so far from all of the family and friends that normally bring them joy. It was noted that cohesiveness within crews during Mir (a Russian space station in low Earth orbit) was greatly reduced and hostility towards one another and towards mission control became much more frequent. A Russian cosmonaut estimated that thirty percent of the time spent on their mission involved crew conflict because of the isolated and confined space, the effects of ICEs ⁶.

Research Limitations 

The psychological impacts of these findings are striking; however, there are many limitations to this research. Due to the limited number of astronauts who have spent long durations in space, no significant correlations can be made. In addition, to limited sample size of astronauts, these astronauts are also not randomly selected and therefore not representative of the population at whole. This means that the results may not apply to all individuals who become astronauts in the future.

Aside from the statistical rationale behind the correlations between space travel and psychological decline, there are numerous logistical complications at play. There are not currently medical devices adequate for monitoring and provided biomedical data on the astronauts’ mental health. These devices are large and therefore costly to send into space. Without further justification for this size of payload, it is unlikely that such devices will be incorporated into the current International Space Station. As such, alternative methods of gathering data on ICE impacts have become increasingly prevalent in the industry.  

Analog Mission Simulations

NASA's Hawaii Space ExplorationAnalog and
Simulation (Hi-SEAS) site.
Image by NASA.gov

NASA's Mars Human Exploration Research Analog
(HERA) capsule.
Image by NASA.gov

    

The extremity of the ICE environments experienced during space travel and the variety of psychological inhibitors they appeared to induce prompted the replication of these environments on Earth for controlled experimentation and greater data sample sizes. These controlled research environments are referred to as analog missions and grant researchers access to extensive physiological and psychological examinations of test subjects throughout the entirety of their simulated mission to space. Access to the data that they collect in these analog missions would be impossible with astronauts hundreds of miles above Earth’s surface. As such, these analog missions provide invaluable information that will prove to allow our space missions to travel farther and last longer than they could without these experiments. 

    The Mars Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) analog program ⁷ and the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (Hi-SEAS) analog program ⁸ have studied the behavioral responses of simulated crews in ICE environments. The data from these analog missions have supported the observations made on the International Space Station validating the effectiveness of these simulations in replicating the space   ICE ⁹. In addition to providing unique data that is available in  no  other way, they are also used to confirm data collected in   real  ICE environments. 

Future Implications of ICE Environment Research

ESA's Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behavior and
performance Skills (CAVES) program.
Image by ESA.int

The effectiveness of analog missions led space agencies to look toward these simulations as a training and preparedness activity for astronauts prior to their first space mission. Further, it was observed in Antarctic ICE environment, that subjects from areas with similar climate to that of Antarctica experienced fewer adverse impacts of the extreme conditions than those who were not from similar climates. This finding suggests that early adaptation to ICE environments can prevent the adverse effects experienced. The European Space Agency has begun to utilize this idea of early adaptation through their Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behavior and performance Skills (CAVES) program. This program is designed to utilize cave exploration simulations as training opportunities for astronauts prior to their space missions as preparation for the ICE of space. The findings of this program have been extraordinary for the astronauts involved before and after their respective missions to orbit ¹⁰. Provided these findings, it is likely that similar preventative action will be taken to combat the ICE effects for space exploration.

Conclusion       

The environments that we place astronauts in are so far different from their day-to-day experiences that the psychological response is unpredictable. Scientists are trying to study these responses so that missions can go farther and last longer. Analog ICE environments provide an opportunity to collect data that could not be collected in space, validate the data collected in space, and allow astronauts to be trained in and exposed to an environment very similar to the one they will be experiencing in space. These experiences will allow us to explore portions of the solar system that we otherwise would never have been able to explore. 

References

1. Zwart, Sara R., Ajitkumar P. Mulavara, Thomas J. Williams, Kerry George, and Scott M. Smith. “The Role of Nutrition in Space Exploration: Implications for Sensorimotor, Cognition, Behavior and the Cerebral Changes Due to the Exposure to Radiation, Altered Gravity, and Isolation/Confinement Hazards of Spaceflight.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 127 (August 2021): 307–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.026.

2. “The 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions about the International Space Station.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/blog/the-20-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-the-international-space-station.

3. Stanton, Neville A, ed. Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation: Proceedings of the AHFE 2017 International Conference on Human Factors in Transportation, July 17−21, 2017, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA. Vol. 597. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60441-1.

4. Zwart, Sara R., Ajitkumar P. Mulavara, Thomas J. Williams, Kerry George, and Scott M. Smith. “The Role of Nutrition in Space Exploration: Implications for Sensorimotor, Cognition, Behavior and the Cerebral Changes Due to the Exposure to Radiation, Altered Gravity, and Isolation/Confinement Hazards of Spaceflight.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 127 (August 2021): 307–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.026.

5. Desai, Rajeev I., Charles L. Limoli, Craig E.L. Stark, and Shauna M. Stark. “Impact of Spaceflight Stressors on Behavior and Cognition: A Molecular, Neurochemical, and Neurobiological Perspective.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 138 (July 2022): 104676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104676.

6. Palinkas, Lawrence A., and Peter Suedfeld. “Psychosocial Issues in Isolated and Confined Extreme Environments.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 126 (July 2021): 413–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.032.

7. Larson, Lindsay, Harrison Wojcik, Ilya Gokhman, Leslie DeChurch, Suzanne Bell, and Noshir Contractor. “Team Performance in Space Crews: Houston, We Have a Teamwork Problem.” Acta Astronautica 161 (August 2019): 108–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.04.052.

8. Anderson, Allison P., Abigail M. Fellows, Kim A. Binsted, Mark T. Hegel, and Jay C. Buckey. “Autonomous, Computer-Based Behavioral Health Countermeasure Evaluation at HI-SEAS Mars Analog.” Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance 87, no. 11 (November 1, 2016): 912–20. https://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.4676.2016.

9. “HI-SEAS Team Completes 8-Month Isolation Mission | NASA.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/hi-seas-team-completes-8-month-isolation-mission.

10. Sauro, Francesco, Jo De Waele, Samuel J. Payler, Marco Vattano, Francesco Maria Sauro, Leonardo Turchi, and Loredana Bessone. “Speleology as an Analogue to Space Exploration: The ESA CAVES Training Programme.” Acta Astronautica 184 (July 2021): 150–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.04.003.

11. “ESA - What Is CAVES?” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/CAVES_and_Pangaea/What_is_CAVES.

12. “NASA: 60 Years and Counting - Human Spaceflight.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/60counting/spaceflight.html.

13. “Gimme Some Space: Inside the International Space Station – in Pictures | Art and Design | The Guardian.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2020/nov/10/gimme-some-space-inside-the-international-space-station-in-pictures.

14. “HERA External View | NASA.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/human-exploration-research-analog-hera-external-view.

15. “HI-SEAS.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.hi-seas.org/.

16. “Space Makes Astronauts Grow Taller, But It Also Causes Back Problems | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine.” Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/space-makes-astronauts-grow-taller-and-also-backs-180960922/.