Barnes_2010abstr

TECHNOCOGNINETIC METHODS TO REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL THREATS TO SURVIVING VOYAGES TO MARS

Marshall Barnes,

AET RaDAL Yellow Springs, Ohio

United States of America

Abstract

From studies of people confined in tight quarters in harsh environments like Antarctica, and the experience of International Space Station expedition 6 flight engineer and science officer Donald Pettit, and research by Dr. Jeffery P.Sutton, head of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, the psychological aspects of a manned voyage to Mars will be daunting and are yet to be completely resolved. It has been stated that human behavior is unpredictable; however, as will be noted by this paper, methods to improve psychological testing exist and should be considered. In addition, technocogninetic technology is in commercial development now that could greatly reduce stress of long voyages, even solo, manned missions to Mars. Technocogninetics is the study of how devices affect human cognitive processes, as well as consciousness, and has been successful in analyzing and finding terminal flaws in studies from the Open University and Baylor College of Medicine. This paper will explore and further define the approaches and methodologies described above and reveal how they could be employed to ensure the psychological survival of voyages to Mars.