Crew compatibility and interaction.

A crew of four (three males and one male) were isolated for 60 days in hyperbaric chambers at DLR, Cologne, Germany. The aim of the study was to investigate how group functioning, relations with ground control, and interaction between crew members would change during isolation. A broad array of methods was used, including analysis of communication, peer ratings, questionnaires, and a post-isolation interview. The main findings are: 1. Group functioning declined at three times, immediately before and after the start of isolation, and in weeks 2 and 5; 2. Conflicts were often focused on project management. 3. Crew members showed a marked tendency to deny team conflicts, making them vulnerable to "group think;" 4. Towards the end of isolation, social factors were given more importance than task-related factors; 5. Lasting antagonism between two of the male crew members were noted, which made one of them withdraw from interaction, while the other one--the most dominant crew member--developed an alliance with the Commander. Several findings in this study are consistent with our earlier results from the ISEMSI study. The existence of several interpersonal issues has been identified, which are also likely to occur during actual space missions. Many of the interpersonal problems could probably be prevented or reduced through behavioral and sensitivity training, composition of crews according to compatibility, and monitoring of group functioning during the flight. We suggest that future simulation studies should be directed towards gaining practical experience in how to influence interpersonal relations in a desirable way. The joint training of ground crew and chamber crew created good co-operation between the two crews, but the adjustment to management requires more experience and new training procedures. The lack of formalized rules caused serious frustrations and negative feelings in both crews towards project management. Data from management and principal investigators were not available, but we suggest that such information should be collected in future simulation studies.