A. G. Vinokhodova

Main findings of psychophysiological studies in the Mars 500 experiment

The Mars 500 international experiment has provided, within a relatively short time period, a large amount of unique research data on the complex effects of interplanetary spaceflight factors (such as isolation, communication delay, international crew, and landing on another planet as a culminating event of the mission) on the behavior and activities of an isolated small group. The resulting patterns necessitate changes in the recruitment, training, and medical and psychological support of the future crew of a manned interplanetary mission.

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

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 methods 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.

Interpersonal Interaction under the Conditions of High Autonomy in Interplanetary Mission Simulation (Mars-500 Experiment)

This paper discusses the influence of the social status and psychological stability of individuals on their communicative behavior in space flight on the basis of retrospective analysis of the findings of the Mars-500 experiment, in which six participants were isolated for a period of simulating a long-term exploration mission. Data were obtained using both classic social-psychological methods and observation of video recorded behavior. Communicative behavior of the crew members was dependent on the level of individual anxiety and social status in the isolated small group.