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Space Psychologist

Studies and supports the mental health of astronauts during long-duration space missions.

Did you know?

In the Mars-500 experiment, six men lived sealed inside a mock spaceship in Moscow for 520 days (2010-2011) so scientists could study isolation.

How subjects help

Psychology: Help a crew cope with isolation, stress and getting along in a tiny space for months.
Biology: Understand how seeing many sunrises a day in orbit upsets astronauts' sleep and mood.
Physics: Understand how weightlessness changes daily life, from sleeping strapped in to floating food.
Communication: Train crews to settle disagreements calmly and talk openly with mission control.

A famous name

Patricia S. Cowings: NASA psychologist who developed biofeedback training to help astronauts beat space sickness without drugs.

Try it yourself: Trick your brain with colour words

On one sheet, write 12 colour words (red, blue, green…), each in its own matching colour. On a second sheet, write the same words in the wrong colours, such as "red" in blue.
Time yourself saying the ink colour, not the word, down the first sheet as fast as you can.
Now time yourself saying the ink colour down the second sheet. Count any mistakes too.
Compare your two times, then test a partner. Why do you think the second sheet is so much harder?

Psychologists use the Stroop test to measure attention and self-control, and clinical psychologists use versions of it as one part of assessing attention or the effects of a brain injury.

Adapted from Neuroscience for Kids (University of Washington): Stroop Effect.

Also try: Design something easier to hold.

Known for it in

USA, Russia, Germany, Japan, France