in some (but not all) cases reported that their voyages had profound effects on the rest of their lives. An example of a positive reaction comes from Apollo astronaut Michael Collins who described orbiting the moon by himself while his two companions descended to the surface: / am accustomed to being alone in a flying machine and I like the sensation - the more unusual the surroundings, the better. Far from fear, I am enjoying sensations of awareness, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation [27, p. 9], Since relatively few data are available from space itself, psychologists often turn to reports from spaceflight-analogous environments. These are earthly settings characterized by isolation, confinement, deprivation, danger, and other attributes associated with life in space [2,3,6,7,11], Analogue environment studies yield many rays of hope. Oliver reports that several of her Antarctic winter-over colleagues considered the experience a pleasant "return to a simple and more enjoyable life-style" [28, p. 223]. Although they did not deny occasional physical and psychological discomfort, 17 participants rated the experience as "one of the best of their of their lives," 10 rated the experience as "good," and only two rated the experience negatively. Responses to psychological tests showed that as the austral winter progressed, participants became less dependent on others, less paranoid, more existential, and gained an increased capacity for close interpersonal relations. Over one-half of her colleagues were interested in wintering-over again. A study of another Antarctic party revealed that neither chronic nor acute stressors had statistically reliable effects on physiological measures of stress [16]. The researchers pointed out that members of this particular group viewed life in Antarctica as a challenge and an adventure. There were psychological costs to wintering over in the Antarctic, but they were outweighed by the psychological rewards. Drawing on his immense experience with New Zealand's Antarctic program, Taylor concluded a discussion of some the negative aspects of wintering-over on the following positive note: To many people it brings a sense of personal discovery, a sense of achievement, the fulfillment of ambition, the membership of a special informal club, and the lifelong admiration of others who themselves have been unable to have the experience. Often on their return they are ready to establish families, carry extra responsibility, and to make substantial contributions to the wider community. For many, wintering-over marks the beginning of a new stage of personal maturity [29, p. 25]. Suedfeld has long championed the view that objective conditions are less important than a person's experienceor interpretation of them [30, 31]. The studies reviewed above are consistent with this, and so, perhaps, is Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau's observation that conditions which appear cramped or crowded may not seem so to a well-trained team involved in an important mission: I remember walking into the one-G trainer and saying "Gosh, this is a very small place for seven people to live in." Psychologically, as I got to know the crew better, the area expanded for me, and by the time I was ready for the flight, I was saying "Well, this is bags of room. No problem" [26, p. 249].
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