living in space. Informal sanctions will insure that newcomers conform to the routine patterns of space culture, and the more important patterns will be reflected in local regulations with violations subject to formal sanctions. In this manner, the space station will develop its own, unique, culture unless standardized patterns are specified and enforced by external forces. Panel members regard such sociocultural development as desirable and they recognize that space culture will differ, in significant ways from Earth culture. However, they are not confident that planning for space stations will take sociocultural development in space into account, and they believe that inappropriate patterns from Earth may be transported to, and sustained in, the extraterrestrial habitat. The possibility that a unique space culture might not develop, or that each nation sponsoring a space station would export its own culture to that station, was also noted and was regarded as being undesirable. Architectural design of space stations was identified as a socially significant feature which requires attention during the planning stages. It is likely that a modular construction mode will be required for the initial space station in order to maximize the capabilities of the shuttle/orbiter and to facilitate station expansion. If the modular construction is initially successful, it is logical to follow the same pattern with larger stations accommodating a hundred or more workers. Modular design, however, holds the potential for creating interpersonal problems among workers. The panel expressed high priority concern over the possibility that architectural planning would be primarily based upon technological, economic and mission factors, and that insufficient attention would be given to the human impact of different design characteristics in the habitat. Modular construction lends itself to segmentation of workers into relatively small associational and friendship groupings with the concomitant possibility that groups will come to identify with residence within a limited area (module), leading to in-group/out-group attitudes, hostility or competition between groups, segregation along racial or work status lines, and social isolation of modular residential groups. Such arrangements could lead to disruptive social conflicts between various groups. This situation may be further exacerbated by the annoyance and difficulty associated with visitation between modules due to the necessity for travel through rather isolated interconnecting tunnels and the requirement that a number of pressurized doors, each of which must be carefully opened and closed, are likely to be encountered along the way. Personal contacts between workers from different residential modules may be limited solely to on-the-job interaction. It is likely, too, that social class barriers from Earth may be transported to space stations through architectural design factors. If living facilities differ with respect to the size and comfort of units, degree of crowding, proximity to work or recreational facilities, proximity to annoyance factors such as noisy machinery, or varying degrees of privacy and spaciousness, it seems likely that residential allocation will be the basis for, or symbol of, social class divisions from Earth. Individuals with higher socioeconomic standing, rank or prestige from Earth will be allocated the more desirable quarters while those with lower Earth social standing will receive less desirable quarters. Such social divisions are not necessarily undesirable in space, but we know from our experience on Earth that differential access to the social resources of society, including access to desirable residential areas, is related to social class level and is associated with a number of undesirable cultural traits including prejudice, discrimination, social inequality, and social class conflict. It seems reasonable that we should seek to avoid transporting such problems to space. If duplication of the Earthly social class
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