Human interactions in space: Results from Shuttle/Mir

Background: Anecdotal reports from space and results from simulation studie s on Earth have suggested that space crewmembers may experience decrements in their interpersonal environment over time and may displace tension and d ysphoria to mission control personnel. Methods: To evaluate these issues, w e studied 5 American astronauts, 8 Russian cosmonauts, and 42 American and 16 Russian mission control personnel who participated in the Shuttle/Mir sp ace program. Subjects completed questions from subscales of the Profile of Mood States, the Group Environment Scale, and the Work Environment Scale on a weekly basis before, during, and after the missions. Results: Among the crewmembers, there was little evidence for significant time effects based o n triphasic (U-shaped) or linear models for the 21 subscales tested, althou gh the presence of an initial novelty effect that declined over time was fo und in three subscales for the astronauts. Compared with work groups on Ear th, the crewmembers reported less dysphoria and perceived their crew enviro nment as more constraining, cohesive, and guided by leadership. There was n o change in ratings of mood and interpersonal environment before, during, a nd after the missions. Conclusions: There was little support for the presen ce of a moderate to strong time effect that influenced the space crews. Cre wmembers perceived their work environment differently from people on Earth, and they demonstrated equanimity in mood and group perceptions, both in sp ace and on the ground. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.