Practical Problems in Astrosociology

Astrosociology is a newly-identified subfield that has historical roots going back half a century. The new tag also encompasses a variety of phenomena, ranging from the micro to the macro, from the social interactions of small human groups operating in the extreme environment of space, to the operations and activities of mission control/mission support teams on Earth, to the organizational challenges of multinational and transnational space projects, to the politicaleconomic issues of multiyear funding continuity, and strategic partnerships between government agencies and private enterprises, to the relationship of the space community to the larger society of which it is a subset. Crew Interactions The aspect of astrosociology that perhaps most often comes to mind is that of crew interaction, both among crewmembers, and between the crew and Mission Control. The human-human interface is one of several aspects of what is grouped together as “human factors,” others being the human-technology interface and the human-environment interface. The latter two have historically received more attention in human spaceflight as being the more immediate and relevant concerns, given that in this venue humans are operating technology in a hostile environment. However, the social interaction of spaceflight has been given short shrift for the nearly half-century of human spaceflight. The attitude of Robert Zubrin, who holds a PhD in astronautical engineering, is not atypical of the aerospace community. His 1996 book, The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Plan and Why We Must, has become the manifesto of the Mars Society, which he founded in 1998. He introduces the subject of human factors with the following paragraph: One of the more bizarre dragons that mar the charts of Mars navigators goes by the name of “The Human Factors Problem.” Some people assert that the psychological problems associated with a round-trip piloted Mars mission are unique and probably a show stopper. Either very fast ships that reduce the roundtrip to weeks, or else very large and luxurious ships that can accommodate large crews with ample social and physical space, must be used for the mission, they claim. Unless such concessions to the modern American suburban life-style are provided, they declare, the crew will surely “go crazy.” Unfortunately, since neither the ultra-fast space-warper nor the Club Med interplanetary cruise ship options are feasible, these concerned parties recommend that any Mars mission be postponed until substantial sums have been spent in areas of “psychological