Alone in Space

The dangers of long-duration space missions aren't just physical.
Limited social outlets, loss of privacy and distance from family—and
from Earth—can leave astronauts vulnerable to depression and
interpersonal conflicts. One NASA report warns that psychosocial
interaction in outer space "may well be one of the more serious
challenges to exploratory missions by humans."

To combat this, NASA is developing a self-help system to address
conflicts and assess psychological disorders such as mild depression. The
program could be modified for use in other extreme environments such as
submarines or oil rigs.

Dubbed the Smart Medical System for Psychosocial Support, the
program will combine video, audio, text and graphics to create a lifelike
environment. Actors are cast as virtual crew members in prerecorded
scenarios that astronauts then use when problems arise. In a typical
simulation, an astronaut witnesses a conflict between two virtual
crewmates and must decide whether to remain neutral, attempt to mediate
or take sides. Each scenario has various choices, based partially on
input from veterans of long-duration space flights.

Eventually, astronauts will need tools to cope with other
psychiatric disorders. The current plan for a
human mission to Mars entails nine months of travel time in each
direction in addition to one year on the planet itself.