Observing the earth from space: Does a virtual reality overview effect experience increase pro-environmental behaviour?

Astronauts (and recently businessmen) often express a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment, after observing the overwhelming beauty of Earth from space. Despite recent attention for this "overview effect", it is unclear whether experiencing the effect directly impacts pro-environmental behaviour. Using a virtual reality experience, the current research tests in two experimental studies the direct impact of an immersive overview effect experience on both short-term and longer term subsequent pro-environmental behaviours (donating to an environmental NGO, consuming less diary and meat). Furthermore, it investigates whether the technological immersiveness of the VR experience amplifies the effect, and the mediating role of connectedness to nature. Results show no effects of the short (7 minutes) overview effect VR video on pro-environmental behaviour (Study 1). For the longer video (15 minutes, Study 2), the results showed that the most immersive experience (video featuring meditative music and voice-over) appeared to increase connection with nature and higher donation amounts to an eco-NGO, but not significantly. No effects were found for subsequent meat and dairy consumption behaviours (measured on day 2, 4, and 6). These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the specific features determining the effectiveness of the overview effect experiences on actual pro-environmental behaviour, providing important insights to businesses and educational institutions.

Sleep-Monitoring Technology Progress and Its Application in Space.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep is an indispensable physiological phenomenon. The complexity of sleep and the time it occupies in human life determine that its quality is positively correlated with human health. Since polysomnography was used in spaceflight in 1967, the sleep problem during astronaut flight has been studied in depth for more than 50 yr, and many solutions have been proposed, but astronauts have always had sleep problems during orbital flight. Insufficient sleep and changes in the rhythm of human sleep-wake activity will lead to disturbance of the human body's internal rhythm indicators, which will lead to psychological and emotional fluctuations and reduced cognitive ability, decision-making ability, teamwork, and work performance. NASA has identified operational errors due to sleep deprivation and altered circadian rhythms as an important risk factor in the key biomedical roadmap for long-term flight, so the importance of sleep monitoring in spaceflight is self-evident. On-orbit sleep-monitoring methods include both subjective and objective aspects. We review objective sleep-monitoring technology based on its application, main monitoring physiological indicators, intrusive advantages, and limitations. This paper reviews the subjective and objective sleep evaluation methods for on-orbit applications, summarizes the progress, advantages, and disadvantages of current ground sleep-monitoring technologies and equipment, and looks forward to the application prospects of new sleep-monitoring technologies in spaceflight.Zhang C, Chen Y, Fan Z, Xin B, Wu B, Lv K. Sleep-monitoring technology progress and its application in space. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(1):37-44.

Astronaut Candidate, Candidate-Like, and Undergraduate Subjects Compared on Retention and Transfer.

INTRODUCTION: The present study examined long-term retention and transfer of knowledge and skills, as well as the effect of cognitive load on retention and transfer, using a sample of astronaut candidates and two comparison groups. The first comparison group, recruited from Johnson Space Center, was similar in age, education, and general health to the astronaut candidate group; the second comparison group included university undergraduate students.METHODS:This study employed two different tasks-a simple perceptual-motor task involving data entry and a complex memory updating task requiring both prospective and retrospective memory. Subjects completed multiple sessions involving both tasks over a 500-d period, with test sessions involving transfer and/or a cognitive load manipulation. For the perceptual-motor task, transfer involved changes to the stimuli that increased intrinsic cognitive load or changes to the required motoric procedures. For the memory updating task, extraneous cognitive load was increased by the addition of a concurrent secondary task.RESULTS:For both the perceptual-motor and memory updating tasks, astronaut candidates and candidate-like subjects performed more accurately, with greater speed, and were less impacted by increased cognitive load than undergraduate students. Despite the generally superior performance of astronaut candidates and candidate-like subjects, they were more likely to experience negative transfer on the perceptual-motor task, whereas undergraduate students demonstrated positive transfer.DISCUSSION:Candidate-like subjects provided a more accurate approximation of astronaut candidate performance than did undergraduate students, especially with regard to negative transfer effects and cognitive load.Kole JA, Barshi I, Healy AF, Schneider VI. Astronaut candidate, candidate-like, and undergraduate subjects compared on retention and transfer. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2023; 94(12):902-910.

Respuesta inmune y vírica en el espacio exterior / Immune and viral response in outer space

Este documento tiene como objetivo principal exponer los riesgos que pueden presentar los astronautas en el sistema inmunitario durante un viaje espacial. Mediante la revisión de la base de datos de la National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), se han elucidado estudios que demuestran que, durante la estancia en la estación espacial, se disminuye la respuesta celular inmune del organismo para responder ante los virus latentes de cada cuerpo humano. Cuando se relaciona este sistema con los vuelos espaciales de larga duración, (1,2,3) se evidencia como la concentración de ciertas citoquinas en el plasma de un astronauta puede ser considerado un indicador de cambios fisiológicos en vivo del sistema inmunológico.(4) Los efectos de la microgravedad en el cuerpo se han transformado en un tema clave de investigación enfocado en el sistema inmunitario. La salud y el bienestar de los viajeros espaciales es estimado como prioridad para las organizaciones encargadas, el Laboratorio de Inmunología del Centro Espacial Johnson de la NASA investiga los efectos del vuelo espacial.(5,6) El Laboratorio de Inmunología del Centro Espacial Johnson tiene datos que sugieren que la supresión del sistema inmunitario que se produce durant e los vuelos espaciales es causada por la radiación y el estrés.(5,6) Se han observado muestras de plasma sanguíneo de las astronautas tomadas antes, durante y después de realizar sus vuelos espaciales. Se reporta que la distribución de células inmunitarias en la sangre se mantiene, cuantitativamente, sin cambios durante misiones cortas, a diferencia de las misiones de periodos prolongados en donde se evidencia una depresión celular y del sistema inmunitario que impide la producción de respuestas adecuadas contra amenazas externas similares a las cuantificadas en el retorno a la tierra(AU)

Limitaçöes de psicoterapia para aeronavegantes quando realizada por médico de aviaçäo / Psychotherapy limitations for the aeronautics when performed by aviation physician

O autor, utilizando sua experiência como Médico de Aviaçao e Psiquiatra, discute os fatores envolvidos em uma psicoterapia quando aplicada pelo Médico de Aviaçao em aeronavegantes da sua própria Unidade. Partindo do conceito psicanalítico de transferência, da dinâmica relacionada à avaliaçao militar e do relato de um caso clínico, expoe os limites dos tipos de técnicas psicoterapêuticas individuais realizadas nesta situaçao, avaliando suas indicaçoes e alertando para os possíveis riscos que podem surgir como consequência das mesmas.