Bold Endeavors: Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration

by Jack Stuster

Bold Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration presents the results of 15 years of research for NASA and the Department of Defense concerning the factors that contribute to adjustment and sustained human performance under conditions of isolation and confinement. The research involved the study of previous space operations and conditions on Earth, such as submarines, Antarctic stations, polar expeditions, and voyages of discovery, that are comparable to what might be expected for future long duration space missions.
Bold Endeavors is read by students, engineers, behavioral scientists, modern explorers, and the personnel staffing US Antarctic stations, among others; it has been described as "required reading" for members of NASA's Expedition Corps, astronauts who are preparing for expeditions to the International Space Station and beyond. Bold Endeavors is of interest to the fields of psychology, psychiatry, human factors and ergonomics, anthropology, aerospace engineering, space medicine, personnel selection, organizational management, and the history of exploration. The chapter on Food is even used as a reference in culinary and hospitality-management programs.

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jennie Machines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really not what I expected at all, but it was still a very cool book. It was very scientific, detailing past space and exploration missions and how to apply them to a future long term space mission. Very well organized and researched. It sprinkled in a nice amount of quotes and pictures too.

[Ed Crutchley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stuster’s book resonates, even for those far from contemplating a mission to Mars or the polar icecap. Anyone who has had to endure the ‘pressure cooker’ environments of isolated small groups, long periods away from home, or the stresses of being controlled from afar, let alone many other more mundane experiences of life, will be able to relate. This is a fascinating documented insight into living in challenging isolation and recommendations for the future. The author draws from experiences of the past, especially long stays in Polar Regions from the late nineteenth century onwards (but curiously not from other parallel experiences, such as life in prison). Experience from long arctic winters, space flights, long duration submarine patrols and the like, has highlighted problems of depression, hostility, sleep disorders, and impaired cognition. He lists fifteen key practical factors of ‘habitability’. In the case of sleep and sleep management, teams need to work in synchronisation and avoid sleep disturbance or excessive sleeping; coordinated sleep patterns must take precedent over ‘free cycling’ from normal circadian rhythms. ‘Zeitgebers’ are used to influence patterns. Other factors include: clothing; exercise (e.g. 2 hours per day); workload and managing abrupt changes; the effects of stress on performance and best ways of reducing it; medical and psychological assistance; décor and personalisation; the importance of good food, occasional special dinners and the occasional drink, and the importance of the role of the cook in relation to all others; group interaction; personal hygiene, especially the pleasure of occasional showers; the challenges related to outside communications; personnel selection; personal space and privacy. On page 129 there are telling before-and-after photos of three participants in the 1888-9 Belgica Antarctic winter-over, the very first of its kind. Lethargy develops in nights lasting months. He cites Weber’s Law; the more grubby and odiferous one is, the more grubby and odiferous one needs to become before noticing. People put on weight - up to 30 pounds and pot bellies develop. There is deprivation, which includes lack of privacy and personal space, coupled with the permanent challenge of ensuring effective team coordination. Participants need to suppress their individual quirks. Subgroups can form and create negative effects. There are even curious evolutionary by-products; submariners becoming cross-eyed because of their lack of use of far sight, and are advised to refrain from driving for three days once back on shore. This is a valuable, fascinating and enlightening insight.