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Cosmonauts happier than astronauts: MIR study
Russian cosmonauts who served aboard the MIR space station were generally happier and more satisfied than their American counterparts, according to the first-ever mental health study of crews and controllers in manned space missions.
Russian cosmonauts who served aboard the MIR space station were generally happier and more satisfied than their American counterparts, according to the first-ever mental health study of crews and controllers in manned space missions.
The study, conducted by University of California-San Francisco researchers, concluded that lopsided crew composition of two Russians and one American on each mission left US astronauts feeling both frustrated and lonely.
``In multicultural crews, especially small crews, one has to pay a lot of attention to the culture and language background of the people involved,`` Nick Kanas, a UCSF Professor of Psychiatry, said on Thursday. ``A single person who is different from the other two can feel isolated.`` Kanas` study, which was conducted under contract to NASA and in conjunction with Russia`s Institute for Biomedical problems, surveyed 13 crew members and 58 mission control personnel during NASA missions to Russia`s MIR Space Station between 1995 and 1998. It found unequivocally that the American participants were less satisfied with their group interaction and work environment than were the Russians, reporting less support and direction from superiors, more work pressure, less personal opportunity and less physical comfort. Kanas said that a major reason for the difference was likely the fact that on each mission, a solitary US astronaut was teamed with two Russian crewmates.
``This creates a potential imbalance,`` Kanas said. ``The commander was always a Russian the language used was always Russian and the operational control of the MIR Space Station was in Russian hands.`` Bureau Report
``In multicultural crews, especially small crews, one has to pay a lot of attention to the culture and language background of the people involved,`` Nick Kanas, a UCSF Professor of Psychiatry, said on Thursday. ``A single person who is different from the other two can feel isolated.`` Kanas` study, which was conducted under contract to NASA and in conjunction with Russia`s Institute for Biomedical problems, surveyed 13 crew members and 58 mission control personnel during NASA missions to Russia`s MIR Space Station between 1995 and 1998. It found unequivocally that the American participants were less satisfied with their group interaction and work environment than were the Russians, reporting less support and direction from superiors, more work pressure, less personal opportunity and less physical comfort. Kanas said that a major reason for the difference was likely the fact that on each mission, a solitary US astronaut was teamed with two Russian crewmates.
``This creates a potential imbalance,`` Kanas said. ``The commander was always a Russian the language used was always Russian and the operational control of the MIR Space Station was in Russian hands.`` Bureau Report