Behavioral health: integrating research and application in support of exploration missions

"Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions," (Ball JR, Evans CH, eds. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001) draws attention to behavioral health, an overarching topic that subsumes psychological, interpersonal, and cultural adaptation in space. On December 2-3, 2003, the University of California, Davis, was the site of a NASA-funded workshop entitled "New Directions in Behavioral Health: Integrating Research and Application." The purpose of the Workshop was to promote fruitful dialogue between researchers and operational personnel in the interests of expanding our understanding of behavioral health on Exploration missions including a return to the Moon and a voyage to Mars. This paper presents an overview of the rationale and findings of that workshop.