[Characteristics of crew communicative behavior and gonadal hormones excretion during long-term chamber isolation of international male crew].

ABSTRACT

The peculiarities of psycho-physiological adaptation to the simulation of the extended autonomous manned Mission to Mars with limited resources and external communication were studied. Verbal communication of the crew of 6 male subjects, representing Russian and European Space Agency with Mission Control (MC) as well as physiological correlates of 105-days life and work in the chambers under sensory deprivation, confinement, monotony and high autonomy were observed. Psychological, physiological and biochemical (urinary cortisol and gonadal hormones) testing together with content-analysis of the crew communication with MC were made in parallel. Gained results confirmed to a considerable extent the preliminary hypothesis about the serious impact of such stressful factors as intragroup conflict, significant decrease of the variety and scope of communication with the outer world and social pressure on the verbal behavior and hormonal excretion of the future Martian crew. For the first time correlation between the metabolism of the gonadal hormones and the volume, content and creativity of the verbal human behavior during various stages of adaptation to the extended isolation in the chambers.