China's First Space Station on the Horizon

Artist's concept of the Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou spacecraft docking in orbit. 
Credit: China Manned Space Engineering Office

As reported by Spaceflight Now, China's space program is on the verge of launching its first space station. The relatively small complex will involve a module called Tiangong 1 docked with a Shenzhou capsule.

In the article, Stephen Clark writes:

The docked Shenzhou and Tiangong vehicles will form a miniature space station stretching approximately 60 feet long.

The docking demo, which is scheduled before the end of the year, will be a crucial accomplishment for China's future space aspirations. The construction and servicing of space stations will require modules to autonomously meet and link up in orbit.

Crews aboard two more Shenzhou missions in 2012 will launch to the orbiting laboratory for short-duration stays. The objectives of those missions will include space science, medical and technological experiments.

The Tiangong 1 module will remain operational for up to two years, hosting two visiting crews for brief missions.

For more on China's space station, see Clark's full article at Spaceflight Now.com. 

HPEE 9th Annual Meeting Update

9th Annual Meeting of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments

The 9th Annual Meeting of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments (HPEE) is scheduled for September 18-19, 2011 at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Visit the meeting page to register and for specific room location. The meeting will precede the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 55th Annual Meeting (see www.hfes.org), also at the Red Rock Hotel, Hyatt Regency, September 19-23, 2011.   

  

Scheduled Presenters

Living and Working on "Mars"

• John Deaton (Florida Institute of Technology) 

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue: Training and Accomplishments

• Timothy Szymanski (Fire-Public Information Officer, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue)

Lessons Learnt from a Resource Constrained Applied Cognitive Task Analysis on Tactical Force Protection Mission Planning

• Stas Krupenia, Cecilia Aguero, and Masja Kempen (Thales Research and Technology, the Netherlands)

Dual-task Performance in Rock Climbing

• Alexander L. Green, and William S. Helton (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand)

Cognitive Patterns During Endurance Activities: The Mind of the Ultra Athlete

• Anna M. Vitalis (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) 

The Impact of Emotions and Predominant Emotion Regulation Technique on the Cardiac Activity Underlying Expert and Non-Expert Dual-Task Driving Performance

• Gabriella M. Hancock and Christopher Janelle (Performance Psychology Laboratory, University of Florida) 

Crew Composition for Long-Duration Spaceflight: Historical Perspectives and Future Recommendations

• Jason P. Kring, Rebecca Zgorksi, Stephanie Nicholas, Peter Aguero, and Chelsea Iwig (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)

Neurofeedback for Attention Deficits: Implications for Aerospace Medicine

• John Putnam (The EEG Institute)

Ergonomic Warfare: Designing Common Vehicles for Uncommon Users

• Ryan Blanding (Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division)

Integrating Human Factors in Extreme Environments into a Senior Design Curriculum

• Laura H. Ikuma, Craig Harvey, and Gerald Knapp (Louisiana State University)

Trust and HRI (tentative title)

• Deb Billings, Kristin Oleson, and Peter Hancock (University of Central Florida)

Adventures on "The Dreadmill": Investigating the Physiological and Biomechanical Costs of Heavy Load Carriage, and their Effects on Combat Efficiency

• Kimberly Pribanic (Mystery Ranch LTD, Montana State University)

HPEE Student Chapter Activities at Embry-Riddle

• Tony Thomas (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)

Additional Information

For more information about HPEE or the 9th Annual Meeting, please visit the 9th Meeting Page or www.hpee.org or contact Jason Kring at jason.kring@erau.edu 

Extreme Scientists Don't Play it Safe

Ask 100 people to describe a scientist and you will likely hear things like "works in a lab" or "wears a white coat and plays with test tubes all day." Scientific work is often viewed as dry, sterile, and devoid of danger. However, science in extreme environments contradicts this notion. Men and women conduct environmental studies at the Earth's poles, perform complex research aboard the international space station, or evaluate the effects of extreme conditions on the human body in military contexts. Furthermore, as Marc Kaufman describes in his NPR.org article, the general public may not fully appreciate what scientists endure to add to our body of knowledge. Kaufman notes,

"Often in the reporting about science, the adventure, the risk and the physical difficulty of the research gets shunted aside and ignored. Science tends to be seen as the work of people who don't willingly expose themselves to physical hardship and danger."

See Kaufman's full article for more on his experience following a group of scientists searching for creatures living in extreme environments.

Professor Lives and Works on "Mars"

John Deaton on "Mars." Photo credit Florida Today.

Setting aside the technological, financial, and international cooperation challenges of a human mission to Mars, one of the biggest obstacles is the human factor. Depending on the plan, a round-trip flight could require between 2 to 3 years. During that time, the crew will be exposed to high doses of radiation, endure months of bone- and muscle-weakening microgravity, all while living and working, together, in a complex and cramped environment. How will the human body and mind survive the journey? To date, the longest single flight--Valeri Polyakov's mission aboard the Russian space station Mir--was (only) 438 days. 

One way scientists address this question is by studying the reactions of men and women participating in Mars-like simulation studies. In addition to the Mars500 study, conducted by the European Space Agency and the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems, dozens of scientists have spent time at two Mars analog sites run by the Mars Society. As Michelle Spitzer describes in a Florida Today article, one scientist learned first hand what it might be like to take up residence on Mars: 

"A month ago, Florida Tech professor John Deaton would have jumped at the chance to travel to Mars.

But that was before the College of Aeronautics professor spent two weeks in a simulated Mars habitat in a remote part of Utah.

"I think I've changed my tune," said Deaton, whose specialty is human factors. "It was a lot harder than I expected. I think going to Mars is going to be an extremely difficult mission."

Deaton emerged last week from the Mars Desert Research Station slightly sleep deprived and about 8 pounds lighter. His home for those two weeks was a two-story, 26-foot-long building he shared with five strangers from around the world.

Run by the nonprofit Mars Society, the station was created to simulate the red planet to allow researchers to better understand what would be required to staff an outpost on Mars."

Deaton is also featured in a video available at FloridaToday.com.

The Psychology of Endurance Running and Coping with Challenges

Troy Espiritu. Photo from Psychology Today.

Science writer, and HPEE member, Jeff Wise knows a lot about fear. In his excellent book, Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger, Wise explored the latest research on how humans cope with extreme situations, and what fear does the to the body and mind. In his latest piece, Wise describes another extreme situation: running 100 miles, all at once. Wise's article, Tough Track, for Psychology Today, profiles another HPEE member, Troy Espiritu, and how he manages to run so far for so long. Wise writes:

"It's a pitch-black winter night and Troy Espiritu is in the middle of a forest somewhere in western Georgia. Espiritu, a compact, wiry man with close-cropped hair, jogs along the wilderness trail with a steady, dogged pace, his face a mask of exhaustion. He's been on the run since yesterday morning, nearly 20 hours ago, and he's utterly spent. Shivering uncontrollably from the cold, he notices that the trees on the margins of his headlamp beam seem to be falling on him. I'm hallucinating, he realizes. He's already run the equivalent of three consecutive marathons, and he's got a fourth left to go. If he can keep pace, he'll cross the 100-mile mark just as the sun rises.

Ultramarathons like this one are among the most grueling competitions ever devised, defying conventional notions of what the human body can do. But Espiritu is tough: He's completed four 100-mile races. And what's even more remarkable is that just five years ago, he was an ordinary guy who couldn't jog more than two miles at a stretch."

The article is relevant to human performance in extreme environments, not only because of Espiritu's story and his accomplishments, but also for the empirical background Wise provides on the science of handling challenges. Coping is a necessary part of living and working in extreme settings, and Wise offers a concise introduction to this area. See the full article at Psychology Today. Also, check out Wise's Psychology Today Blog.  

Psychology of Space Exploration - New Book in the NASA History Series

NEW IN THE NASA HISTORY SERIES


Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective


Edited by Douglas Vakoch


(Washington, D.C.: NASA SP-2011-4411), pp. x+254, hardcover.


This forthcoming book from the NASA History Series takes a new perspective on the human dimension of spaceflight. Through essays on topics including survival in extreme environments and the multicultural dimensions of exploration, readers will gain an understanding of the psychological challenges that have faced the space program since its earliest days. An engaging read for those interested in space, history, and psychology alike, Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective is a highly relevant read as we stand poised on the edge of a new era of spaceflight.


Early missions into space were typically brief, and crews were small, often drawn from a single nation. As an intensely competitive space race has given way to international cooperation over the decades, the challenges of communicating across cultural boundaries and dealing with interpersonal conflicts have become increasingly important, requiring different coping skills and sensibilities from “the right stuff” of early astronauts. With plans to establish a permanent colony on the Moon and to travel to Mars, the duration of expeditions will increase markedly, as will the psychosocial stresses. Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective provides an analysis of these and other challenges facing future space explorers. In addition to examining contemporary psychological research, each essay also explicitly addresses the history of the psychology of space exploration. Leading contributors to the field place the latest theories and empirical findings in historical context by examining changes in space missions over the past half century, as well as reviewing developments in psychological science during the same period. The essays are innovative in their approaches and conclusions, providing novel insights for behavioral researchers and historians alike.


Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction: Psychology and the U.S. Space Program 

• 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

• 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

• 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?

• 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

Section II: Managing Interpersonal Conflict in Space

Chapter 5. Managing Negative Interactions in Space Crews: The Role of Simulator Research

• Harvey Wichman, Aerospace Psychology Laboratory, Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University

Chapter 6. Gender Composition and Crew Cohesion During Long-Duration Space Missions

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Gro Mjeldheim Sandal, Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen
• Gloria R. Leon, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

How to Order: Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective is a forthcoming publication from the NASA History Program Office, a part of NASA’s Office of Communications Public Outreach Division. Please refer to the History Office website (http://history.nasa.gov/) for publication and ordering information for this book. Details regarding the availability of the book will be posted as soon as possible. Contact us via email at histinfo@hq.nasa.gov if you have any further questions.

Bringing Extreme to the Lab

Solomon in heated altitude chamber
(photo by Michael Lewis)

For research on performance in extreme environments, scientists generally have to choose between the benefits of conducting controlled experiments in the laboratory with research in the more realistic "field." In the lab, one can most clearly see how manipulating one variable (the independent variable or IV) affects a second variable (the dependent variable or DV) while keeping all other variables constant (the extraneous variables). In the field, however, we have little to no control over these extraneous variables, thereby making it difficult to see a clear IV-DV relationship. 

What's needed is a way to conduct controlled experiments in extreme conditions that mimic conditions in the field. For most researchers, this task is difficult, if not impossible. However, as Christopher Solomon, a writer for Outside Magazine, discovered, scientists at the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine are succeeding in recreating the extreme in the lab. In his article, Solomon writes:

"THE PILL IS SMALL, PURPLE, CYLINDRICAL—ABOUT THE SIZE AND OMINOUSNESS OF A .38-CALIBER BULLET. I haven't known Robert Kenefick ten minutes when he hands me a rubber glove and tells me where I can stick it. Without wallowing in too much detail, let's just say the pill—which is really a wireless temperature sensor—isn't going in the easy way.

Kenefick is 45, bespectacled, with the ironed-khakis-and-Rockports appearance of the college professor he once was. He's not without sympathy. "I know most people want dinner and dancing before they do something like this," he jokes as he leads me to the restroom. Suddenly, I'm keenly aware of how bland my social life is.

Mission accomplished, I waddle back to the testing area. "Let's do it," says Kenefick. He opens a ponderous steel door, and we step into a metal-walled room that's precisely the suffocating temperature of a Tucson afternoon.

"Unnggh," I groan.

Kenefick is apologetic. Today the room is "only" 40 degrees Celsius—104 degrees Fahrenheit. The first time he ran this test, he says, "we had guys at 50 C," or 122 F. Somehow I don't feel shortchanged. The room's steel walls are hot. The steel floor is hot. Pumps roar as they exhale air that feels like a Bikram yoga lover's dream. Inside, I'll bake for the next three hours to get thoroughly dehydrated before I mount a stationary bike and pedal maniacally. The goal: to gauge just how much my performance craters when I'm hotter and thirstier than I've ever been.

KENEFICK IS A PHYSIOLOGIST at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM)—a vanilla-sounding name for a cluster of gee-whiz laboratories, little known even inside the military, whose mission is to build soldiers capable of enduring anything Mother Nature throws their way. Though primarily a defense project, the institute's work also trickles down to civilian life, affecting how the rest of us run, drink, eat, exercise, and survive in the outdoors.

Kenefick specializes in heat problems. Army brass call when they want to know whether slathering on the insect repellent deet makes it harder for soldiers to sweat and cool off. (Nope.) Or when they want to learn how to make soldiers acclimate faster in sweltering conditions. (He's working on it.)"

See Solomon's full article at Oustide Online.com. Also, a thank you to Tony Thomas, a student in the Human Factors and Systems program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and member of the HPEE Student Chapter, for finding this article.