News
Loneliness In Space
Long-term space missions face numerous challenges — not just technical, but also psychological. Astronauts have to spend weeks or months in small confines with just a few fellow crew members, isolated from the rest of humanity. So it is important to predict how this experience might affect their mental health — and whether there are particular activities that could protect against any negative effects.
This was one of the aims of the LUNARK project, the results of which were published in Acta Astronautica. Two men in their 20s spent 61 days living in a specially constructed habitat in Northern Greenland, designed to mimic the conditions astronauts would experience in a base on the moon. The participants had to cope with outside temperatures as low as -30°c and a month of complete darkness, and had no contact with the outside world other than sending short daily messages back home.
Both participants displayed an increased desire for social contact as the mission progressed. More time spent talking to the other participant about personal matters or taking part in leisure activities was related to reduced negative feelings.
The researchers conclude astronauts might not experience the same negative consequences as those who are in prison, say, or who have been socially excluded. That’s because they willingly sign up for space missions, and have a clear end date for their expeditions. But there is still clearly the potential for negative psychological effects, and their study suggests some ways to counteract these. In particular, physical exercise, leisure activities, and chatting with each other about matters unrelated to the mission all seem to promote wellbeing.
This was one of the aims of the LUNARK project, the results of which were published in Acta Astronautica. Two men in their 20s spent 61 days living in a specially constructed habitat in Northern Greenland, designed to mimic the conditions astronauts would experience in a base on the moon. The participants had to cope with outside temperatures as low as -30°c and a month of complete darkness, and had no contact with the outside world other than sending short daily messages back home.
Both participants displayed an increased desire for social contact as the mission progressed. More time spent talking to the other participant about personal matters or taking part in leisure activities was related to reduced negative feelings.
The researchers conclude astronauts might not experience the same negative consequences as those who are in prison, say, or who have been socially excluded. That’s because they willingly sign up for space missions, and have a clear end date for their expeditions. But there is still clearly the potential for negative psychological effects, and their study suggests some ways to counteract these. In particular, physical exercise, leisure activities, and chatting with each other about matters unrelated to the mission all seem to promote wellbeing.