Human Adjustment to Isolation and Confinement

Small groups living and working in isolation and confinement experience unique stressors that have predictable effects on individual adjustment and mission performance. Because the stress is cumulative, long duration missions impose considerable burdens on an individual's capacity to adjust to the conditions and to perform well, both technically and socially. This paper describes research conducted to extrapolate design and procedural guidelines for lunar and planetary expeditions from a review of information concerning analogous conditions, including Antarctic winter-over experiences and previous expeditions and voyages of discovery. It is found that humans can adjust to and perform well under conditions that are far more austere and arduous than those anticipated for future space crews, if proper precautions are made.