CREW FATIGUE DURING SIMULATED, LONG-DURATION B-1B BOMBER MISSIONS

Crew fatigue associated with successive and unaugmented 36 h missions was evaluated in B-1B simulators, Data were obtained from 32 operation ally qualified crewmembers. All crewmembers completed three consecutiv e, long duration missions, each preceded by 33 to 35 h of crew rest. O ral temperature, salivary melatonin and cortisol, as well as actigraph and subjective measures, were collected during all missions. Temperat ure and melatonin delta indicate that crews maintained their local hom e base circadian cycles. Elevated cortisol and subjective fatigue duri ng the first mission indicate that it was the most difficult of the th ree. Furthermore, quality and duration of sleep were lowest during the first mission. These findings emphasize the need for realistic traini ng in long duration fatigue management to improve the safety and effec tiveness of the first and subsequent missions.