Russian researchers recreated the conditions for social exciting crews of interplanetary expeditions and showed that over time, those experiencing psychological alienation from the flight control center. Describing the results of the first two stages of the Sirius program (Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Station) article published in Frontiers in Physiology magazine.
As part of the predecessor of the program, the Mars-500 project – scientists identified the psychological separation of the crew from the center of flight control. The project Sirius project conducted at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (ISBP) provides scientific model experiments with a duration of 17, 120, 240 and 360 days.
The first two stages – a duration of 17 days and four months – were held in 2017 and 2019, respectively. As part of the second stage, the researchers for the first ten days recorded 320 dialogues with six volunteers – three women and three men – lasting at 11 o’clock.
Starting from the 11th day, scientists have added artificially delayed communications, which is similar to those that will experience astronauts on the Moon and Mars. For four months, the number of video communications “Flight Management Center” fell from 200 to the first week to 115-120. The duration of these messages has also become lower. The nature of communication has changed: women began to show joy more and sadness, while male is anger. At the same time, researchers celebrate, the differences in the style and content of communications with the Earth were gradually smoothed, and the crews themselves became more solid, despite the different origin of the participants.
“In autonomous conditions, psychological autonomization of the crew occurs, which becomes less dependent on the flight control center,” said one of the researchers, Senior Researcher ISBP RAS Dmitry Swede. On November 4, the third stage of the project began, which will last 240 days. In the course of it it is planned to reproduce the main stages of the long-term mission. Annual experiment is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2023.