Mind over Mars: The psychology of space exploration, with Suzanne Bell, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Science, Mental Health

4.3 • 781 Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Astronauts on a future mission to Mars will face many challenges, including three years in a tiny spacecraft and a Mars habitat, with just a few other crew members and a 22-minute delay for any communication back to Earth. Psychologist Suzanne Bell, PhD, head of NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Lab, talks about the human challenges of long-term space exploration, what it will take to keep astronauts mentally and physically healthy, and how researchers are using a simulated Mars habitat here on earth to prepare for a mission to Mars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	NASA has said that it's working towards sending humans to Mars sometime in the 2030s.
0:06.0	A round-trip mission to Mars, which is 140 million miles from Earth, would take at least three years.
0:13.0	For the astronauts, that would mean three years of confinement in a small space and limited or delayed communications with those back on Earth.
0:23.1	As engineers consider, the technical challenges involved in long-term space exploration,
0:28.1	psychologists and other behavioral scientists are thinking about the human challenges.
0:33.6	Today we're going to talk to a NASA psychologist about what those challenges are and how scientists are working to address them.
0:40.3	We'll discuss the skills and supports that astronauts will need to stay mentally and physically healthy on such a long trip.
0:47.3	How does NASA determine who has the right stuff for such a trip?
0:51.3	How will they avoid the potential pitfalls of isolation and confinement?
0:55.6	What skills will they need to work effectively as a team? And how to personality and other
1:00.3	behavioral traits factor into astronaut selection? What do we know from prior space missions?
1:07.3	And how can researchers study and prepare astronauts for long-term space travel while they're here on Earth?
1:16.1	Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.
1:26.0	I'm Kim Mills.
1:29.4	My guest today is Dr. Suzanne Bell, an industrial organizational psychologist who leads
1:34.6	the behavioral health and performance lab at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.
1:39.9	There, she and her colleagues study the human aspects of space exploration, including the skills
1:44.8	and supports that astronauts will need on future long-term missions.
1:49.4	Dr. Bell has a background studying teamwork and team effectiveness. Before joining NASA full-time
1:54.9	in 2021, she was a psychology professor at DePaul University. Dr. Bell, thank you for joining me today.
2:02.3	Thank you for having me, Sam. Can you start by giving listeners an overview of what you and your
2:07.9	colleagues work on at NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Lab? What are the big questions you're
	...

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