Multicultural Human Factors Concerns aboard the International Space Station Alpha

Author(s):  
Mary L. Lozano ◽  
Clifford K. Wong

As we enter the 21st century, we can expect an increase of international spaceflight missions made up of crew members from different cultures. This study assesses the potential effects of cultural and interpersonal communication factors on crew interaction and crew operations for multicultural spaceflight crews. During international missions, crew members from different countries will be living and working together within the confined and isolated quarters of their spacecraft. On many International Space Station Alpha missions, a crew will consist of Canadian, European, Japanese, and U.S. personnel. Mission duration can range from 90 to 180 days for International Space Station Alpha and approximately two years for a round-trip manned mission to Mars. Effective and efficient multicultural crew interaction and operations will assume a major role in flight safety and mission success. By means of a questionnaire and personal interviews, information was gathered, indicating cultural characteristics considered to be most relevant for future spacefarers from the various nations involved in future International Space Station Alpha missions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 96-121
Author(s):  
M.Yu. Belyaev ◽  
◽  

The paper presents a brief history of preparation for and execution of the first manned flight into space in the Vostok spacecraft. The main tasks and challenges which were solved to make this historical event possible are discussed. Further achievements of Russian manned cosmonautics are presented, including the first world’s orbital station Salyut which was constructed and launched in orbit 50 years ago. The human role in executing a space flight is studied. The tasks in the space orbit are discussed, the solutions to which with the participation of the crew have improved the space flight safety and efficiency. Examples of cosmonauts’ operations during the flights of the orbital stations Salyut, the orbital facility Mir, and the International Space Station are given to illustrate such tasks. The importance of cosmonauts’ participation in the research and experiments on the orbital stations is demonstrated, and positive examples of such participation are provided.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Paige Smith ◽  
Vicky E. Byrne ◽  
Cynthia Hudy ◽  
Mihriban Whitmore

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia. E. Wotring ◽  
LaRona K. Smith

INTRODUCTION: There are knowledge gaps in spaceflight pharmacology with insufficient in-flight data to inform future planning. This effort directly addressed in-mission medication use and also informed open questions regarding spaceflight-associated changes in pharmacokinetics (PK) and/or pharmacodynamics (PD).METHODS: An iOS application was designed to collect medication use information relevant for research from volunteer astronaut crewmembers: medication name, dose, dosing frequency, indication, perceived efficacy, and side effects. Leveraging the limited medication choices aboard allowed a streamlined questionnaire. There were 24 subjects approved for participation.RESULTS: Six crewmembers completed flight data collection and five completed ground data collection before NASA’s early study discontinuation. There were 5766 medication use entries, averaging 20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week. Types of medications and their indications were similar to previous reports, with sleep disturbances and muscle/joint pain as primary drivers. Two subjects treated prolonged skin problems. Subjects also used the application in unanticipated ways: to note drug tolerance testing or medication holiday per research protocols, and to share data with flight surgeons. Subjects also provided usability feedback on application design and implementation.DISCUSSION: The volume of data collected (20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week) is much greater than was collected previously (<12 per person per entire mission), despite user criticisms regarding app usability. It seems likely that improvements in a software-based questionnaire application could result in a robust data collection tool that astronauts find more acceptable, while simultaneously providing researchers and clinicians with useful data.Wotring VE, Smith LK. Dose tracker application for collecting medication use data from International Space Station crew. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(1):41–45.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.I. Klimov ◽  
◽  
V.Ye. Korepanov ◽  

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