Did anyone catch the show on Discovery last night at 6:30pm - "Spaced Out: The Psychology of Space" or something like that.
It was about the psychology of travelling long distances in space, and how being cramped in small quarters with other people for long times can be a recipe for disaster..
It can send people crazy, make them want to kill each other etc.
It was very interesting viewing, and a very real problem for them if/when they decide to send people to Mars. Can you imagine being stuck in a box for up to 3 years?
They have the same problems at our Antarctic bases for those that winter there and they have a lot more space. There is even a self contained hut well away from the rest of the base where you can go and get some peace and quiet from your colleagues.
No problem, a couple of X boxes, PS2's and Ipods and of course a link to the IIS forum would do the trick...and maybe some of houghy's famous puzzles... In reality I suspect that the physical problems will be more of a hurdle than the psychological.
A friend from work whose a social recluse thought he'd love it in Antartica for a year so he applied. He failed the psyc test as he wasn't social enough to work in close quaters. Same would go for space I guess, only those who really really get along well with other people would cope.
I dont think its possible for people to spend super extended periods of co inhabition in limited space . For a trip to Mars i think you would need a system of docking stations if that is possible or build a craft that would be suitable which in all likehood would to have to be made in orbit .....or find a better propllent/drive system to cut the time.
Yeah, good ol' 'cabin fever' or lack of environmental stimulation would be a real killer on an extended space voyage. Perhaps a vitual reality computer sim will come in handy here..
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In reality I suspect that the physical problems will be more of a hurdle than the psychological.
.....or find a better propllent/drive system to cut the time.
