Mars Habitability Project at Mdrs Sensory Experience
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IAC-10.E5.1.1 Updated: Berlin, MARS HABITABILITY PROJECT AT MDRS 15th October 2010 SENSORY EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVE PERFORMANCE FOR MANNED PLANETARY EXPLORATION Ms. Irene Lia Schlacht Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, [email protected] Ms. Ayako Ono Tohoku University Graduate School of medicine, Sendai, Japan, [email protected] Prof. Scott Bates Utah State University, Logan, United States, [email protected] Ms Regina Peldszus Kingston University, London, United Kingdom, [email protected] Prof. Melchiorre Masali Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy, [email protected] Prof. Matthias Roetting Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, [email protected] Prof. Franca Ligabue Stricker Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy, [email protected] Prof. Bernard Foing European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, The Netherlands, [email protected] Dr. Artemis Westenberg The Mars Society, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, [email protected] Dr. Carol Stoker NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States, [email protected] KEY WORDS: Human Factors, Long Duration Missions, The Mars Habitability Project investigates Quality of Life, Habitability, Psychology, Creativity, Sensory sensory stimulation and creative interaction as Experience. elements for improving habitability and safety in ABSTRACT: In a long duration space mission LDM. This ongoing project is applied in a short- (LDM) isolation and monotony of the crew inside duration space mission simulation context at artificial habitats may lead to boredom, MDRS (Mars Society Desert Research Station) depression and lethargy. These factors impact and focuses on interaction with plants, colors, mission safety and success. Astronauts are fragrances and sounds. The investigation, led by always required to be prepared to approach the research group Extreme-Design, was first unknown problems creatively and adaptively. conducted on 18 subjects in 2010 during the Sensory stimulation may enhance awareness EuroMoonMars campaign upon the invitation of and mental activity of the astronaut and thus ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration Working counteract some of these particular stressors of Group) and SKOR (Foundation Art and Public the space environment. Space). The 2010 results, based on qualitative and quantitative methodology, show a positive Image1: Human Factors in Space Exploration. © I.L. Schlacht 2010 (Earth © NASA, Perceptual Interaction © Sandra Häuplik- stimuli effect without influences on the overall Meusburger, Astronauts EVA at MDRS © Schlacht) subject mood. 1 IAC-10.E5.1.1 1. INTRODUCTION to learn how to play a new musical instrument and may in future be encouraged to take part in With current technology, a mission to Mars other cultural activities (Triscott & LaFrenais, would take around three years. In this kind of 2005). Such interventions and experiences long duration mission (LDM), habitability design should therefore be included in the planning focuses on producing a habitat capable of stage of habitability design. supporting astronauts’ research and exploration activities. Beyond the physical life support An ideal space habitat system should support system, quality of life, satisfaction, psychological humans’ experiences and allow the active stability, performance, and mental activity are pursuit of discovery and exploration from the important factors in habitability design and need perspectives of both the humanities and to be investigated (JAXA, 2009). sciences (Schlacht et al. , 2010). To implement such experiences in habitability design, both Habitability challenges in an isolated and scientific and humanities disciplines must be artificial habitat are manifold. One is the need of involved in a holistic approach. This holistic standardisation and automation. Another crucial approach (from holos, Greek for entire) aims to need is a functional and ergonomic stowage increase space habitability, taking into account system. On the International Space Station the physical but also the spiritual needs of the (ISS), for instance, complex payloads are user by “integrating different perspectives, such crammed into a small and crowded interior, as aesthetics, emotions, instinct, creativity and restricting habitable volume, the possibility of cultural development, which are all considered to body movement, and contributing to visual be relevant aspects of human space clutter. Also odour, visual clutter and noise affect exploration ” (Schlacht et al. , 2010). The habitability on the ISS as negative sensory experience of emotions has a “very powerful stimulation. During isolation in an artificial effect on memory implementing the learning context not only those ‘bad’ sensory stimulation factors” and individuals “tend to remember more but also under-stimulation (hypo stimulation) vividly those events [associated] with a strong, may affect habitability; the monotony of the pleasant emotional experience” (Vernikos, artificial context can lead to boredom, mental 2004). Satisfaction, contentment, relaxation, and lethargy and inactivity. memories are emotional experiences that can be enhanced by sensory stimulation. This is the This paper focuses on the monotony of isolated focal concept of the Mars Habitability Project and confined habitats, which is a common psychological stressor in LDM (Kanas et al. 1.1 Literature Review 2003). The social and environmental monotony of a confined crew in an artificial habitat will In order to implement stimulating experiences, become even more relevant on a deep space stimuli need to be effective culturally, creatively mission, where the crew will not be able to and emotionally, involving the astronauts closely watch the Earth from the window, a actively. One of the main references is natural popular activity associated with orbital missions. stimulation. The following section reviews the The hypothesis investigated in this study is that aspects on which the selection of color, plant, to maintain mental activity in space, crew must fragrance and natural sound stimuli investigated be stimulated as in their natural terrestrial in the study was based. environment. As in nature, variety is one key factor to create stimulation through unexpected Color gradation is associated with aesthetic and emotional experiences. pleasure, which is usually experienced in our Random stimuli may be artificially planned and daily life and in nature. Human beings have provide effective countermeasures against evolved in nature, and as a characteristic related boredom. Examples may be a surprise such a to natural selection they are sensitive to the gift or a change of the interior environment. The beauty of colors. For instance, indirect lighting, possibility of creatively and constructively sunsets and rainbows have a positive interacting with the setting may also be psychological effect on us through the pleasure beneficial. Indeed, humans also need to be derived from the sense of beauty. intellectually active, continuing their learning and Wilson originally defined biophilia as “the innate discovery process through constructive and tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes” stimulating experiences. Creative involvement of (1984, p.1) and Kellert (1993) extended this idea the astronaut may also help to alleviate boredom to include that “human dependence on nature … and to initiate mental activity. For example, extends far beyond the simple issues of material some astronauts on the ISS use their free time and physical sustenance to also encompass 2 IAC-10.E5.1.1 human craving for aesthetic, intellectual, setting and sensory homogeneity of spacecraft cognitive, and even spiritual meaning and interiors in long duration missions, fragrances satisfaction” (p. 20). Given that humans could provide a welcome source of stimulation. developed in an environment that included a In particular, their ability to enhance food variety of features supporting or harming the perception (Small & Prescott, 2005), evoke likelihood of survival, it follows that humans memories (Herz et al. 2003), or support would likely prefer particular aspects of nature. alertness (Hirata, 2001; Ilmberger et al. , 2001) renders them an ideal supplement to In-depth analysis of human-nature interaction psychological habitability. provides mounting evidence that nature in the The fundamentals of such ‘positive’ olfactory instance of plants – and by extension natural intervention and their relationship to human elements and specific aspects of nature (e.g. behaviour, performance and well-being in the Zen Garden ) – are restorative. spacecraft environment have been outlined by Three primary benefit domains have been Holland and her colleagues (2004). They point identified in the empirical literature: a) out the trade-off between odor neutrality and physiological; b) psychological; c) social (Bates, meaningful administration of compounds et al. , 2007). For instance, Heerwagen and according to individual preference. In support of Orians (1986) Wise and Rosenberg (1988) future development of fragrance intervention to found that humans prefer to look at nature- amplify other psychological countermeasures based stimuli. This is consistent with the well- against monotony, they suggest a preliminary established laboratory experiments, which trial of such intervention by means of phials in a indicate that people prefer to view landscapes space station environment. Further development with plant-life instead of built