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ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE.   G.M. Sandal. Dept. of Psychosocial Sciences, University of Bergen, Norway.  

Psychosocial factors are likely to play an increasingly important role in determining mission success as the duration of space flight increases and crews become more heterogeneous. On the International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and cosmonauts will form one international crew although living in different national modules. The scenario of rotating, multinational crews presents a challenge for mission planners in the field of optimizing performance and interaction within and between crews. Cultural variability both within the astronaut corps and in the more complex environment of multinational operations has been a neglected concept. In recent years progresses have been made in validating the ability of psychometric testing to predict performance in demanding, socio-technical environments and training principles have been outlined. Documentation of the cross-cultural applicability and fairness of such methods remains an important issue. There have been few opportunities to validate the effectiveness of countermeasures in relation to astronaut performance or psychosocial parameters in space. Empirical evidence have been based on simulations and research on performed on personnel operating in environments that involve many similar stressors to those experienced by astronauts in space, such as aviation, deep diving and polar research stations. It is now apparent that attempts to transfer experiences gained from such analogue environments to space require a thorough evaluation of the threats, risks, and human behaviors specific to the fields. Collection of comparable data in space is needed to establish the validity of data gained from these settings.