Spacefaring: The Human Dimension / Edition 1

by Albert A. Harrison

Overview

The stars have always called us, but only for the past forty years or so have we been able to respond by traveling in space. This book explores the human side of spaceflight: why people are willing to brave danger and hardship to go into space; how human culture has shaped past and present missions; and the effects of space travel on health and well-being. A comprehensive and authoritative treatment of its subject, this book combines statistical studies, rich case histories, and gripping anecdotal detail as it investigates the phenomenon of humans in space—from the earliest spaceflights to the missions of tomorrow.

Drawing from a strong research base in the behavioral sciences, Harrison covers such topics as habitability, crew selection and training, coping with stress, group dynamics, accidents, and more. In addition to taking a close look at spacefarers themselves, Spacefaring reviews the broad organizational and political contexts that shape human progress toward the heavens. With the ongoing construction of the International Space Station, the human journey to the stars continues, and this book will surely help guide the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520236776
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	11/10/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Albert A. Harrison is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. He is coauthor of Living Aloft: Human Requirements for Extended Spaceflight (1985) and From Antarctica to Outer Space: Life in Isolation and Confinement (1991), and author of After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life (1997).

Read an Excerpt

From Chapter 11: Off Duty

Sex in Space

Some people voluntarily choose celibacy, but we cannot expect this of everyone who enters space. Tourists, especially those on their honeymoon, will be drawn to space to experiment with sex under conditions of microgravity. Sex is a normal part of life, and spacefarers on long-term missions will seek some form of sexual gratification. Space settlements will draw entire families into space, and unless we are willing to content ourselves with test-tube babies, sex will be essential to replenish crews on multigeneration missions.

NASA has avoided few topics as studiously as the subject of sex in space. Given the selection of "right stuff" male astronauts, the brevity of the missions, and the close monitoring of life aboard the spacecraft, sex was not much of an issue during the early days. In later years, public pressures may have contributed to NASA's avoidance of the topic. NASA's approach to congressional support and funding rests in part on not annoying any appreciable segment of the population. Since sex outside of marriage (or even within marriage but at taxpayer expense) still runs against the grain of some Americans, NASA's avoidance of the topic is understandable.

Spaceflight conditions will affect the sheer mechanics of sex. Microgravity invites experimentation with previously impossible positions and acts. However, spaceflight also makes sex physically difficult and, by some North American standards, unappetizing. [note 9] There is little or no privacy. Lovers cannot count on gravity to stay in place--a consideration that led one inventor to develop a special leather harness that anchors one partner by the hips while nonetheless permitting undulating motions. Sweat does not collect as it would under normal gravity; rather, it forms liquid spheres that may break loose and float around the cabin. Air filtration systems are imperfect and personal hygiene facilities are limited, meaning that it is not so easy to clean up afterward. Of course, as people who have had sex in the backseat of a VW bug or in the boiler room of a tramp steamer know, none of this is prohibitive. It's just that for now, sex, like almost every other activity, will proceed without the comfort and amenities we are used to on Earth.

When we look beyond real or imagined public relations debacles and the novelty of sexual experimentation, we find profound issues of intimacy and interpersonal dynamics. [note 10] Spacefarers live in close confinement, and we want them to be cordial, indeed friendly, with one another. Yet we might be wary of unusually strong attachments or emotional bonds. We must count on crewmembers to work as a team and not show favoritism by attending to a lover rather than to the job. It could be very difficult to manage a personal relationship that goes sour early in a mission. After all, there is no place to escape the broken relationship, and a substitute partner could be very difficult to find. And, as is always the case during the long-term separation of partners, extramarital affairs can undermine preexisting marriages. Thus, spaceflight conditions can complicate romantic relationships that are already complicated enough.

One possibility is to compose the crew of preformed couples and hope that the different sets of partners will remain content with one another until the mission is over, and that favoritism will not get out of hand. Occasionally, someone suggests an overtly homosexual crew. This, of course, would do nothing to minimize rivalries and conflicts onboard but would do much to terrorize NASA public relations experts. Maybe the wisest course is simply not to ask and to leave spacefarers in charge of their own lives. In some spaceflight-analogous settings, confinees have secret, informal "provisional marriages" that last until the mission is done, at which point they terminate the relationship and return home with feigned innocence to their husbands and wives.

---

Notes

9. James E. Oberg and Alcestis R. Oberg, Pioneering Space: Living on the Next Frontier (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986).

10. Connors, Harrison, and Akins, Living Aloft.

Copyright © 2001 by the Regents of the University of California

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
	Acknowledgments	xvii
1.	Why Space?	1
	The Beckoning Heavens
	Knowledge Motives
	Advancing Science and Technology
	Education and Human Resource Development
	Economic Motives
	Spin-Offs
	Managing Life on Planet Earth
	Use of Space Resources
	Space Tourism
	Psychological and Social Motives
	Personal Motivation
	Uniting Humanity
	Conclusion
2.	Spaceflight Human Factors	19
	Systems
	Human Factors
	The Changing Conditions of Spaceflight
	Lessons from Space, Lessons from Earth
	Spaceflight
	Simulated Spaceflight Environments
	Maritime Environments
	Polar Environments
	Conclusion
3.	Hazards and Countermeasures	38
	Environmental Risks
	Acceleration
	Microgravity
	Radiation
	Maintaining Health in Space
	Preventative Measures
	In-Flight Medical Treatment
	Conclusion
4.	Life Support	58
	Spacecraft and Habitats
	Visiting Space and the Race to the Moon
	Shuttles and Space Stations
	Life Support Systems
	Artificial Atmosphere
	Temperature
	Water
	Food
	Clothing
	Waste Management
	In Situ Resource Utilization
	Biospheres
	Planetary Engineering
	Conclusion
5.	Habitability	80
	Architectural Considerations
	Forms and Configurations
	Deployable Structures
	Privacy
	Functional Aesthetics
	Lighting
	Sound Control
	Odor Control
	Conclusion
6.	Selection and Training	98
	Selection
	Basic Qualifications
	Psychological Criteria
	Ability
	Stability
	Social Compatibility
	Training
	Informal and Formal Training
	Applying Principles of Learning
	Simulators
	Education in Space
	Conclusion
7.	Stress and Coping	117
	Sources of Stress
	Physical Environmental Stressors
	Interpersonal Stressors
	Organizational Stressors
	Consequences of Stress
	Cognitive Effects
	Health
	Psychological Reactions over Time
	Managing Stress
	Personal Coping
	Peer Support
	Psychological Support Groups
	Psychiatric Health Maintenance Facilities
	Conclusion
8.	Group Dynamics	137
	Crew Composition
	Crew Size
	Age
	Gender and Ethnicity
	International Crews
	Group Structure and Process
	Leadership
	Communication
	Conformity
	Cohesiveness
	Decision Making
	Conflict
	Factionalism
	Conflicts with Mission Control
	Conclusion
9.	At Work	158
	Spaceflight Conditions and Human Performance
	Perception
	Circadian Rhythms
	Working in Microgravity
	Space Suits and Extravehicular Activities
	Role Loading
	The Spacefarer's Tool Kit
	Work Spaces
	Basic Tools
	Partnering With Intelligent Machines
	Assigning Tasks to People and Machines
	Trust
	Who's in Charge Here?
	Conclusion
10.	Mishaps	173
	Failures and Errors
	Psychological Factors
	Small-Group Factors
	Organizational Factors
	Designs
	Quality and Reliability
	Safety Devices
	User-Friendly Designs
	Keeping the Operator in the Loop
	Conclusion
11.	Off Duty	190
	Self-Maintenance
	Personal Hygiene
	Eating and Drinking
	Sleeping
	Sex in Space
	Leisure Time Activities
	Self-Improvement
	Recreation
	Maintaining Contact with Family and Friends
	Down to Earth
	Family Relationships
	Working with the Public
	Retirement
	Conclusion
12.	Space Tourism	206
	Tourist-Friendly Spaceflight
	Who Can Go?
	Tourist Accommodations
	Tourist Activities
	Suborbital Flight
	Orbital Flights
	Hotels and Resorts
	Fitting in
	Tourists and Professionals
	Environmental Protection
	Conclusion
13.	Space Settlements	222
	Visions of the Future
	Moonbase
	Mars
	Orbiting Colonies
	The Millennial Project
	Life On the High Frontier
	Existence Needs
	Relatedness Needs
	Growth Needs
	Conclusion
14.	Interstellar Migration	241
	Starflight
	Destinations
	Interstellar Spacecraft
	Multigeneration Missions
	Slowships
	Fastships
	Single-Generation Missions
	Shorten the Flight
	Lengthen Life
	Interstellar Humanity
	Population
	Cultures
	Interstellar Politics
	Conclusion
15.	Restoring the Deram	262
	What Went Wrong on the Way to the Future?
	Public Opinion
	Constituencies
	Organizational Dynamics
	Back to the Future
	Cutting Costs
	Partnerships
	Conclusion
	Notes	281
	Index	313

Editorial Reviews

Fascinating.... this is a book that could broaden your horizons in the widest possible sense.

New Scientist

Well-written, covers a range of research and makes several interesting points on almost every page.

American Scientist

An enjoyable, informative look at what living and working in space will really be like in the decades to come. Harrison explores the often unappreciated interaction of human psyche and technology in an environment filled with danger, challenge, and opportunity. A great read for space professionals or anyone interested in the future of our species as we expand into the 'final frontier.'

Patricia Santy

Marvelous reading . . . will be invaluable to aerospace engineers and future space travelers. Read this wonderful book and you too will learn to fly.
—Leonardo Digital Reviews

Cliff Pickover

An informed and upbeat appraisal of the human dimension of spaceflight, coupled with a cautious and wistful rumination on its prospects.
—Issues in Science and Technology

Alex Roland

The vast majority of space books focus on the hardware for getting there, and the environment, or lack thereof, that surrounds you. In contrast, Harrison focuses on the human dimension . . . .The book is by far the most comprehensive resource to date on the human factors of space flight.

Netsurfer Digest

Spacefaring addresses in a powerful, cogent, and scholarly manner topics long ignored or swept aside in official reports and planning documents about space flight. It is a good, powerful and needed work.

Edgar Mitchell

Drawing on both recent developments and classic 'space lore, ' Harrison takes his readers on refreshingly human-level odyssey through the still-widely-unknown challenges and opportunities that await us in a future off of our home planet.

James Oberg

A roadmap to the future for teachers preparing students to live and work in space.

Don Scott

As a leading psychologist dealing with the human side of spaceflight, the author brings unique, somewhat philosophical, insights into the offworld experience of our species. This book is especially valuable to aerospace engineers and planners concerned with long-duration spaceflight and colonization. A seminal volume, it offers behavioral science perspectives on the challenge of creating a spacefaring civilization for the New Millennium.

Philip R. Harris

We are becoming a spacefaring species. Space stations have become commonplace and space tourism, the exploration of Mars and the first settlements in space are next. If these work, the sky's no limit. Harrison engagingly tells the human side of this unfolding adventure, providing us with a book ideal for courses in Humanity in Space and of interest to any reader who wants to know what we (and not just our machines must do to flourish beyond the earth.

Ben Finney