Developing predictive models: Individual and group breakdowns in long-term space travel.

Abstract It is inevitable that individuals and groups will experience stress and distress in the harsh and extreme environment of deep space. When these occur, we now have a mission in jeopardy -- not due to hardware failure, but because a psychological breaking point has been reached. It will happen. The question is when. This paper seeks to identify signs of impending breakdowns and suggests strategies for a crew to minimize its impact when it does. This paper begins to create definitions and qualities of breaking points, define the impact on group dynamics, and identify post-breakdown recovery strategies that will be used as a foundation for predictive model development. Highlights • An individual's psychological is vital to the success of the mission itself. • Mission cycle type influences the required skill set for individual success. • Group maturity is as important as the individual's ability to cope with the environment. • An individual's psychological health relative to the group dynamics is key. • Other impacting factors are physical health, culture, grief, and gender relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]