Entertainment computing in the orbit

During ultra long space missions (i.e. to Mars), the isolated space environmentaffects a number of physiological, psychosocial and mental processescritically involved in human performance, and it is vital to missions' success tounderstand the psychological limits. Past experiences in space have shown that themental health of a crew can have a great effect on the success or failure of a mission.Latent and overt stress factors are mental strain, interpersonal problems, and lack of capability to rescue crew members, isolation, monotony, and tedium of life aboard an autonomous shuttle. Abstract These issues develop very slowly overtime and are very difficult to detect and remedy for observers on the ground. E.g. long-term isolation can lead to sleep deprivation, depression, irritability, anxiety, impaired cognition, and even hostility. Providing astronauts with entertainment products can help to maintain the mental health of the crew. The results of this project will deepen the understanding of intra- and inter-individual crew behaviour and related performance, and provide the technical platform for a new type of crew assistance tools based on multi-user computer games. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC