About the Editor Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective Psychology of Space Exploration Psychology of About the Book Douglas A. Vakoch is a professor in the Department As we stand poised on the verge of a new era of of Clinical Psychology at the California Institute of spaceflight, we must rethink every element, including Integral Studies, as well as the director of Interstellar Space Exploration the human dimension. This book explores some of the Message Composition at the SETI Institute. Dr. Vakoch Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective contributions of psychology to yesterday’s great space is a licensed psychologist in the state of California, and Edited by Douglas A. Vakoch race, today’s orbiter and International Space Station mis- his psychological research, clinical, and teaching interests sions, and tomorrow’s journeys beyond Earth’s orbit. include topics in psychotherapy, ecopsychology, and meth- Early missions into space were typically brief, and crews odologies of psychological research. As a corresponding were small, often drawn from a single nation. As an member of the International Academy of Astronautics, intensely competitive space race has given way to inter- Dr. Vakoch chairs that organization’s Study Groups on national cooperation over the decades, the challenges of Interstellar Message Construction and Active SETI. communicating across cultural boundaries and dealing Through his membership in the International Institute with interpersonal conflicts have become increasingly of Space Law, he examines policy issues related to inter- important, requiring different coping skills and sensibil- stellar communication. He is the editor of several forth- ities from “the right stuff” of early astronauts. coming volumes, including Between Worlds: The Art As astronauts travel to asteroids or establish a per- and Science of Interstellar Message Composition (MIT manent colony on the Moon, with the eventual goal of Press); Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar reaching Mars, the duration of expeditions will increase Communication (NASA History Series); and Ecofeminism markedly, as will the psychosocial stresses. Away from and Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives on Sex, Technology, their home planet for extended times, future spacefarers and Discourse (Berghahn Books). Dr. Vakoch serves as will need to be increasingly self-sufficient and autono- general editor of the book series Ecofeminist Theory and mous while they simultaneously deal with the complexi- Practice, published by Berghahn Books, and he is a mem- ties of heterogeneous, multicultural crews. Psychology of ber of the editorial board of the journal Ecopsychology. Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Dr. Vakoch has chaired numerous workshops and Perspective provides an analysis of these and other chal- conference sessions, including several symposia at recent lenges facing future space explorers while at the same annual conventions of the American Psychological time presenting new empirical research on topics rang- Association on the psychology of space exploration and ing from simulation studies of commercial spaceflights to Douglas A. Vakoch Douglas on environmental psychology. While completing his M.A. the psychological benefits of viewing Earth from space. in history and philosophy of science at the University of by Edited In addition to examining contemporary psycholog- Notre Dame, he focused on both the history of astron- ical research, each essay also explicitly addresses the omy and the history of psychology. He received his Ph.D. history of the psychology of space exploration. Leading in clinical psychology with a Quantitative Concentration contributors to the field place the latest theories and F ro as el t yb eh S epu ir tn e edn tn fo D co mu e tn .U s S G , . evo r emn tn P ir tn i O gn eciff ISBN 978-0-16-088358-3 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I tn re en :t skoob t ro e . opg . vog enohP : lot l f eer ( 668 ) 215 - 0081 ; D C a er ( a 202 ) 215 - 0081 empirical findings in historical context by examining 90000 aF :x ( 202 ) 215 - 4012 aM :li S t I po CCD W , ihsa gn t no D , C 20402 - 1000 After finishing his predoctoral clinical internship in health changes in space missions over the past half century, ISBN 978-0-16-088358-3 psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as reviewing developments in psychological sci- Hospital and Clinics, Dr. Vakoch completed a National ence during the same period. The essays are innovative Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship in the in their approaches and conclusions, providing novel Department of Psychology at Vanderbilt University. 9 780160 883583 insights for behavioral researchers and historians alike. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Communications History Program Office Front cover image: “When Thoughts Turn Inward,” a watercolor painting by Back cover image: “Forty Pounds of Lead” (Space Shuttle Simulations, NASA Washington, DC NASA artist Henry Casselli, shows astronaut John Young during suit-up for the first Johnson Space Center), by Henry Casselli. (Image number 80-HC-522) NASA SP-2011-4411 SP-2011-4411 launch of America’s Space Shuttle Columbia. (Image number 82-HC-289) Psychology of Space Exploration Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective Edited by Douglas A. Vakoch The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Communications History Program Office Washington, DC 2011 NASA SP-2011-4411 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Psychology of space exploration : contemporary research in historical perspective / edited by Douglas A. Vakoch. p. cm. -- (NASA history series) 1. Space psychology. 2. Space flight--Psychological aspects. 3. Outer space--Explo- ration. 4. Space sciences--United States. I. Vakoch, Douglas A. II. United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. RC1160.P79 2009 155.9’66--dc22 2009026665 F ro leas b y t eh S pu e ri tn e dn e tn D fo co mu e tn s , .U Svo . e G r mn e tn P ri tn i gn fficeO ISBN 978-0-16-088358-3 I tn er en t: koob s t ro e. opg . vog : Plot l nohf ree e ( 668 ) 215 - 0081 ; C Da re a ( 202 ) 215 - 0081 90000 Fa :x ( 202 ) 215 - 4012 il:M S a t po DCI C, W a hs i gn t no , D C 20402 - 1000 ISBN 978-0-16-088358-3 9 780160 883583 To Julie and Len THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK Table of Contents Foreword vii Acknowledgments ix Chapter 1. Introduction: Psychology and the U.S. Space Program 1 Albert A. Harrison, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis Edna R. Fiedler, National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine Section I: Surviving and Thriving in Extreme Environments Chapter 2. Behavioral Health 17 Albert A. Harrison, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis Edna R. Fiedler, National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine Chapter 3. From Earth Analogs to Space: Getting There from Here 47 Sheryl L. Bishop, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and School of Nursing, University of Texas Medical Branch Chapter 4. Patterns in Crew-Initiated Photography of Earth from the ISS—Is Earth Observation a Salutogenic Experience? 79 Julie A. Robinson, Office of the ISS Program Scientist, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) Kelley J. Slack, Behavioral Health and Performance Research, Wyle Laboratories Valerie A. Olson, Department of Anthropology, Rice University Michael H. Trenchard, Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, Engineering and Science Contract Group (ESCG), NASA JSC Kimberly J. Willis, Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, ESCG, NASA JSC Pamela J. Baskin, Behavioral Health and Performance Research, Wyle Laboratories Jennifer E. Boyd, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center v Psychology of Space Exploration Section II: Managing Interpersonal Conflict in Space Chapter 5. Managing Negative Interactions in Space Crews: The Role of Simulator Research 103 Harvey Wichman, Aerospace Psychology Laboratory, Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University Chapter 6. Gender Composition and Crew Cohesion During Long-Duration Space Missions 125 Jason P. Kring, Department of Human Factors and Systems, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Megan A. Kaminski, Program in Human Factors and Applied Cognition, George Mason University Section III: Multicultural Dimensions of Space Exploration Chapter 7. Flying with Strangers: Postmission Reflections of Multinational Space Crews 143 Peter Suedfeld, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia Kasia E. Wilk, Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services Research and Evaluation Department, Ministry of Children and Family Development Lindi Cassel, Department of Occupational Therapy, Providence Health Care Chapter 8. Spaceflight and Cross-Cultural Psychology 177 Juris G. Draguns, Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University Albert A. Harrison, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis Afterword. From the Past to the Future 195 Gro Mjeldheim Sandal, Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen Gloria R. Leon, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota About the Authors 205 Acronyms and Abbreviations 219 The NASA History Series 221 Subject Index 235 Authors Cited 249 vi Foreword Each month, the cover of Monitor on Psychology, a magazine sent to over one hundred thousand members of the American Psychological