Design for the Psychological Habitability of Spacecraft on Extended Exploratory Missions

Human performance will be a critical factor in future long duration exploration missions in space, for instance to Mars. In addition to physical risks in a hazardous environment, crew face social and sensory deprivation in a confined, isolated habitat. A key paradigm affecting the mission will be the crew’s autonomy. How can the spacecraft itself support psychological wellbeing through meaningful design intervention? This short paper summarises the first phase of a current study addressing the psychological issues in extended space missions through sensory design. Based on a review of key features in crew habitation found to be psychologically beneficial, it examines terrestrial design approaches that – applied to spacecraft – could yield new insights for the design of human-centred applications.