Explainer

Astronauts in space suits explore a rocky, desert-like terrain resembling Mars at sunset

An 11-person Mars analog split between two villages produced a different social pattern than a standard 6-person mission, with 7 socioemotional traits changing by architecture while both simulations still improved 18 measures tied to well-being and function

Seven measured traits changed when researchers compared two very different Mars analog crews: one followed a more standard six-person, single-site design, while the other placed 11 participants in a dual-site mission with overlapping teams and more social roles. The result was not a simple victory for the larger group. Instead, the study suggests that mission…

Space Explainer

Fourteen volunteers crossed a virtual Moon-like landscape on a treadmill and when rock identification became harder their mental workload climbed, heart patterns shifted and even basic navigation and science tasks began to slip, giving mission planners a clearer view of how lunar EVA can strain the mind before astronauts ever leave Earth

Image of the International Space Station floating above Earth with visible solar panels

Humans Explainer

Five astronauts tested nine times around half-year ISS missions stayed slower and more error-prone near day 8 and day 50 in orbit, suggesting that some forms of space fog in visuospatial tasks can persist instead of easing as crews adapt to weightlessness

Space Explainer

Ten astronauts on long International Space Station missions reacted more slowly and underestimated intervals lasting only a few seconds, suggesting that microgravity and heavy mental load can speed the brain’s inner clock while making attention harder to hold

Space Explainer

Twenty-seven ISS astronauts spent months growing, viewing and eating fresh crops in orbit and their survey responses suggest the garden work stayed enjoyable and meaningful over time while the strongest lift came from seeing the plants and tasting the harvest

Two scuba divers capturing the vibrant marine life near an underwater wreck in crystal clear waters

Humans Explainer

Twenty certified recreational divers completed executive-function tests on land, at 5 meters and at 20 meters and only the deeper dive weakened inhibitory control on the Stroop task, pointing to a specific mental blind spot that can interfere with self-control and fast judgment below the surface

Humans Explainer

Sixty beginner university swimmers completed 3 months of training with kickboards, fins, pull buoys and flotation aids in a single-group study and self-confidence rose sharply while mental focus improved even though cognitive and somatic anxiety barely changed

Space Explainer

Across five spaceflight analog campaigns, 64 crewmembers reported steadily declining social support as isolation continued, with outside support fading faster than help from fellow crew members and evening stress tracking the support still available inside the isolated habitat

Across months of isolation in simulated space habitats, one of the steadiest human resources slowly wore down. A Frontiers in Psychology study followed 64 crewmembers through five spaceflight analog campaigns and found that perceived social support declined over time, especially support from people outside the habitat. The pattern matters because future missions to the Moon…

Astronaut in spacesuit explores barren, Mars-like desert terrain under brown sky

Space Explainer

Six men spent 520 days inside the Mars500 chamber and by the later stages of the mock trip to Mars they were judging unpleasant pictures less harshly while mood scores and stress-linked hormones shifted in patterns that resembled the mission’s psychologically difficult third quarter

520 days is long enough for a simulated Mars trip to stop feeling like a technical rehearsal and start exposing how people adapt under pressure. In one of the clearest psychological signals from the Mars500 isolation study, six crew members gradually gave more positive ratings to unpleasant images as the mission moved deeper into confinement.…

Astronaut conducting a spacewalk with Earth in the background, showcasing outer space exploration

Space Explainer

Thirty-two astronaut-like volunteers spent one or two weeks inside NASA’s HERA habitat and after a partially sleepless night their accuracy with human facial emotions fell first, hinting that short sleep loss in confinement can disturb social judgment before many other mission skills show the same strain

Thirty-two volunteers who lived through eight short NASA HERA missions gave researchers a close look at what happens when confinement and sleep loss meet in the same spaceflight-style setting. One result stood out quickly. After a partially sleepless night in the first campaign, participants became less accurate at reading facial emotions, even though many other…

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