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Simulated Spaceflight Operations Under Sleep Deprivation and Confinement
Yijing Zhang1, Zhizhong Li, Xueyong Liu
1China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China.
Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance
|November 14, 2015
Summary
Sleep deprivation and confinement negatively impact spaceflight operation performance. Assigning complex, cognitive tasks may counteract these effects, especially for psychomotor abilities.
Area of Science:
- Human factors in aerospace
- Cognitive psychology
- Spaceflight operations
Background:
- Investigated effects of sleep deprivation and confinement (SDC) on simulated spaceflight operations in Chinese individuals.
- SDC is a critical factor impacting astronaut performance during long-duration missions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine how operation complexity and type influence performance under SDC.
- To identify specific operational demands most affected by SDC.
Main Methods:
- 20 male volunteers were divided into SDC (N=8) and control (N=12) groups.
- Participants performed 11 computerized spaceflight emergency procedures over 72 hours.
- Operation time and errors were recorded for procedures varying in complexity (low, high, combined) and type (two-way judgment, manual, mixed).
Main Results:
- SDC significantly impaired performance across all operation complexities and types.
- Operation times for manual and mixed operations increased with extended wakefulness.
- High complexity and manual operations showed less performance variation compared to low complexity and two-way judgment tasks.
Conclusions:
- Complex, cognition-demanding tasks may mitigate SDC's negative effects on performance.
- Psychomotor abilities are more susceptible to SDC than perception and judgment.
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