NEWSLINE PAPER,- From computing launch windows to assessing cosmic radiation exposure, NASA engineers are experts at measuring the minute aspects of space missions. But with all of their careful calculations and flight paths, there is one important element they are unable to quantify: astronauts' mental health.
Though mental difficulties existed in the early days of space exploration, NASA didn't realize it needed to handle psychological issues until astronauts started spending long stretches of time away from Earth, especially on space stations. NASA created a psychology team to assist astronauts' mental health when the International Space Station was being built in 1994.
Now, with NASA preparing for longer deep space missions, such trips to Mars, the psychological cost of extended time away from home is quite real. One of the biggest obstacles to mission success on these multi-year assignments becomes preserving mental health.
Ido Mizrahy's documentary "Space: The Longest Goodbye," explores the astronauts' psychological and emotional get-ready for these historic missions. Tracking astronauts like Cady Coleman and Kayla Barron, the movie delves into their space adventures as well as the effects they have on their families back home.
Especially Coleman's account illustrates the difficult challenges astronauts and their families endure. In painful video conversations with her kid, Coleman struggled with homesickness after leaving him behind while she spent months orbiting Earth. Coleman had to carefully control her emotions to prevent being judged unfit for space flight because of the ongoing psychological assessments and monitoring aboard the space station.
The documentary also looks at the range of tactics developed by NASA's psychological division to help astronauts on extended journeys, such as creating companion robots or creating desert settings to study interpersonal dynamics alone. These initiatives highlight the difficulty in tackling the psychological obstacles associated with space flight.
A moving meditation on the reality of being an astronaut, "Space: The Longest Goodbye" encapsulates the both fearful and hopeful parts of space exploration.