Human Health and Performance Risks of Space Exploration Missions
Chapter 3
Study Year Mission No. Measurement type Effect Type of Effect
Chapter 3
Mission Days
Manzey and Lorenz
1998
Mir
1
Accuracy and response time: four tasks from AGARD-STRES (GRT, MST, UTT); mood and workload assessments Accuracy and response time: four tasks from AGARD-STRES (GRT, MS, UTT, DT)
Yes
Pre-launch decrements associated with lowered mood scores; decrements in tracking performance varied in flight, associated w/adaptation (i.e., to space, and back to Earth) Fine manual control decrements (UTT) due to adaptation; potential decrement in tracking/ memory-search during DT
438
Manzey et al.
1998
Mir
1
Yes
8
Newman and Lathan
1999
STS-42
4
Memory recall task PAWS (battery of performance tests); subjective assessments of cumulative fatigue PVT (calculation, recall memory, VAS, KSS) Self-assessment of fatigue
No Decrements in memorysearch performance, correlated with selfassessment fatigue Most lapses in flight; least lapses post-flight
4 14 (STS-65) 15 (STS-78) 16 (STS-90) 10 (STS-95) 16 (STS-90) 10 (STS-95)
Schiflett et al.
1996
STS-65, STS-78
7 5 (STS-90) 1 (STS-95) 5 (STS-90) 1 (STS-95)
Yes
Dijk et al.
2001
STS-90, STS-95
PVTnot sig.
Dijk et al.
2001
STS-90, STS-95
Yes
Fatigue levels worst in flight; best post-flight
Note: AGARD=Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (NATO). STRES=simulated training requirements effectiveness report. GRT=grammatical reasoning task. MST=Memory Search Task. UTT=Unstable Tracking Task. PAWS=Performance Assessment Workstation. VAS=Visual Analog Scale. KSS=Karolinska Sleepiness Scale. DT=dual task.
Manzey et al. (1998) conducted a similar study over an 8-day mission to Mir; this again was a short-duration evaluation using one subject. The study involved administering six pre-flight and six post-flight assessments to one subject, with 13 in-flight assessments occurring during the Soyuz approach to Mir (high stress) and also during the stay on board Mir. Four tasks were administered: grammatical reasoning, MST, UTT, and a DT that consisted of unstable tracking with concurrent memory search. These tasks probe information-processing functions that are known to react sensitively to the adverse effects of environmental stressors or that might become impaired by the direct effects of microgravity on sensory motor processes (Kanas and Manzey, 2000). The speed and accuracy of short-term memory retrieval and logical reasoning were found to be unimpaired under space flight conditions. Decrements, however, were found in fine manual control movements during the UTT. DT interference effects on the tracking task and the memory search were also reflected, increasing from the beginning to the end of the mission.
During the experiment, researchers administered questionnaires to evaluate the crew members' mood, fatigue levels, and assessment of workload. Correlations between reported fatigue and decrements that were observed
Risk of Performance Errors Due to Sleep Loss, Circadian Desynchronization, Fatigue, and Work Overload
101
