The 4 psychological effects that astronauts experience in space

It has been more than 50 years since the human being arrived on the Moon, and since then we have set our sights on much more distant destinations.

However, although many may think that the obstacles to achieving this are only the distance, the fuel, etc., one of the biggest challenges facing the main space agencies is to check the psychological effects experienced by astronauts.

• Related article: "The 10 most important psychological effects"

The importance of the psychological effects experienced by astronauts

We have all heard about how demanding the requirements are to be an astronaut. Both NASA (the North American space agency), ESA (the European one) or Rocosmos (the Russian one), among others, require engineering or similar degrees, an age and a height within of certain stripes and, above all, an adequate state of physical form, without vision defects and that allows the candidate to overcome the tough tests that will be faced subjected.

But that is not all. It will be useless to have a brilliant resume and an athlete's physical shape if that person also has an unstable personality

or at least not strong enough to withstand the conditions of extreme stress and isolation that it will have to face. Hence the importance of anticipating the psychological effects experienced by astronauts.

Think for a moment about the astronauts aboard Apollo 13, Lowell, Swigert, and Haise, whose journey suffered countless unforeseen events.. These men faced one of the most intense stress situations experienced by any human being before, as they They were hundreds of thousands of kilometers from our planet, surrounded by emptiness, in a damaged ship and losing oxygen.

If any of them had lacked extreme mental strength, they might have panicked and probably failed. overcome all the problems that arose, working as a perfect team, and finally returning to Earth, safe and sound, against everything forecast. The psychological characteristics of the Apollo 13 astronauts were undoubtedly one of the reasons for their success.

Factors of psychological exhaustion in outer space

Idyllically we can think that traveling to space is one of the most exciting experiences that a human being can live. And so it is, but that does not mean that it is also the most hostile medium that we can face. Is about a totally different scenario from the terrestrial environment to which we are accustomed, and extreme conditions in all aspects. Logically, these conditions have a cost, and they are the psychological effects experienced by astronauts.

Next we are going to review some of the most important characteristics of this medium and what are the repercussions in the psychological conditions of space travelers, which fundamentally translate into symptoms of anxiety and depression.

1. microgravity

The first and most obvious factor is the absence of gravity, a characteristic known as microgravity. Experiencing this sensation may seem very fun and interesting at first, but in reality very soon we begin to feel its consequences. The cardiovascular system suffers the most, having to work twice as hard to pump blood throughout the body.

This, among many other things, produces a sensation of headache, a kind of migraine, lacking the effect of terrestrial gravity to draw blood downward and prevent it from being retained in the head. Added to this is that airborne dust particles cannot fall to the ground, and are therefore breathed in more frequently, increasing allergies and aggravating the headache problem.

On a psychological level, this annoying feeling, not very intense but constant, it is a source of stress and mental exhaustion for which you have to be properly prepared, otherwise it can affect the performance of the different activities carried out on board by the astronauts.

2. Isolation

Obviously, another of the main characteristics of space missions is the isolation that they entail. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are 408 kilometers above Earth, surrounded only by emptiness. The missions have very specific durations, which means that once you reach the ISS, there is no option to return until the deadline is met.

This means that, once they board the ship, they are aware that for several days, weeks, even in some cases, months, they will not have no chance to see your loved ones or to move beyond the narrow corridors of a metal structure that will float without pause above the planet. Any situation that occurs there will have to be resolved by them and their colleagues.

Logically, not everyone is prepared for a situation of absolute isolation like this. All astronaut candidates must have adequate psychological profiles for this and also to guarantee, as far as possible, proper management of interpersonal relationships with the rest of the colleagues, and this is a key factor to take into account in order to control the psychological effects experienced by astronauts.

Those people are going to be the only human beings you're going to see for a long period of time, and you're going to do under really stressful working conditions and in a physical environment with characteristics extreme. It is essential to ensure that there is a good relationship between all of them, that they cooperate and that a climate positive, especially considering that they will meet people from very different regions and cultures. different.

Thus, one of the characteristics of most astronauts is affability and the facility to relate to their peers, as we have already seen that it is an essential factor to ensure a good coexistence and thus guarantee the proper development of the missions. Let's think that any interpersonal incident, any small discussion, can be fatal for the climate lived on the ship or in the station.

3. Dream

Sleep problems are another of the main factors to consider. On a spaceship, the circadian cycles begin to experience problems. The concept of day and night disappears, being able to see sunrise and sunset every few minutes, so we lose the solar reference.

Added to this are the high-decibel sounds that are constantly heard on the space station, as well as tasks that have to be carried out at very specific hours, which implies that they must wake up "at night" regularly, if the mission so requires. Typically, astronauts sleep two hours less in space than on Earth.

Sleep is a fundamental restorative element, and without adequate rest, both physical and psychological effects take their toll quickly. This translates into fatigue, irritability, and poorer performance on tasks. For this reason, it is common for astronauts to use pharmacology to help them fall asleep and thus reduce these effects as much as possible.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 main sleep disorders"

4. Stress

In reality, stress is a consequence of all the others and of many other variables, but it is such an important factor that it deserves a separate point. The complexity of the tasks that an astronaut performs, as well as the conditions in which they have to perform them, are unparalleled with other professional activities.. This, of course, is a very intense source of stress.

Some missions in stations such as Skylab or MIR, or in the ISS itself, lasted several months. Such an amount of time, working at the highest level and in space conditions, suppose a stress that is not bearable by everyone. That is why the selection of candidates must be so demanding, since not all subjects are capable of withstanding the psychological effects experienced by astronauts.

The big challenge: Mars

But all these situations have been studied in the manned missions carried out so far, the most distant being those of the Apollo program, which reached the Moon (almost 400,000 km) and the longest in time are those of the cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov (437 days) and that of the American astronaut Christina Koch (328 days). But These figures pale in comparison to the great challenge that all space programs have on the horizon: the trip to Mars..

Apart from the immense technological challenge that this space odyssey entails, one cannot ignore the psychological implications that they may have in a human being the fact of traveling in a capsule of fairly small dimensions, for between 6 and 9 months, counting only the outward journey, carrying out the missions on the surface of the red planet during the stipulated time, and manage to return to Earth in one piece for as long a period of time. time.

In order to anticipate the psychological effects that astronauts would experience on this hypothetical mission, Experts study similar isolation situations, such as those that occur, bridging distances, in submarines, or in facilities in the Arctic prepared for this purpose, such as Neumayer III. NASA even has a simulator in Houston, called Hera, where they also carry out studies to verify these effects.

Obviously, all these elements help to anticipate many of the situations that can arise in a long-term space trip and the psychological effects derivatives, but until the big moment arrives we will not get to know the true repercussions that interplanetary travel can have on the mind of the being human.

Bibliographic references:

• Alonso, M.M. (2013). Aeronautical Psychology and its Contribution to Aerospace Safety. Argentine Journal of Psychology.
• Cox, B.D., Schmidt, L.L., Slack, K.J., Foster, T.C. (2013). Assessment and selection of military aviators and astronauts. Aeromedical psychology. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
• Sipes, W., Fiedler, E. (2007). Current psychological support for US astronauts on the international space station. NASA Technical Reports Server.
• Suedfeld, P. (2005). Invulnerability, coping, salutogenesis, integration: four phases of space psychology. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.