The Traveler: Outer Space Experience
The further you travel into outer space, the more you realize our most important relationships are down here on Earth.
Astronauts have always looked back on their homeworld. They see the world as a fragile blue marble floating in the blackness of space when seen from the Moon. Astronauts can see the world with their own eyes flip through the pages of the book Story of astronauts living on the Moon, which holds all the people they love. That connection provides a sense of stability and reassurance that they will return after their mission.
Astronaut’s Life In Space
Astronauts feel the significance of open communication and teamwork while in space. They feel that getting along with their colleagues in space will ease their loneliness and focus on their mission. They must keep in mind that loneliness is not being alone physically but a state of mind.
The core objective of their goal is to achieve success. The astronauts have to be jubilant to function well in their work, and you can not be in high spirits if you are not getting along with your fellow astronaut.
The view they get to see out of the window is just breathtaking. You can appreciate the beauty of planet Earth. It looks like spinning in the black velvet of space with a bright blue halo surrounding it, which changes the astronaut’s perspective on life.”
Astronaut’s Depression In Space
Space is a unique solitary environment that complicates the associated changes on the astronaut’s brain. Microgravity affects the brain through vestibular deprivation, cephalic fluid shift, and weightlessness makes the brain perplexing.
Depression in space refers to an astronaut’s cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being in space. It is how astronauts think, feel, and behave during the expedition in space.
There are several psychiatric problems during space missions. Most common is their adjustment reactions to their new surroundings, and a new domain in space gives them symptoms of transient anxiety or depression.
Space adaptation syndrome or space sickness is a kind of motion sickness that can occur to an astronaut when his surroundings visually appear to be in motion but without his physical body in motion. This abnormal condition can occur during space travel when changes in g-forces compromise one’s spatial orientation.
The isolation in space contributes to anxiety and stress, ranging from neurocognitive changes, fatigue, sleep disorders, altered stress hormone levels, and immune-modulatory changes.
Astronauts experience sleeping problems due to natural light and anxiety problems or depression. Aside from loneliness, other factors create depression, such as microgravity or radiation. The carbon dioxide may also debilitate their neurobehavioral and performance.
Astronauts are given time to speak with their families virtually. There are stressful situations or traumatic events that sometimes occur in space, like when an astronaut breaks up with his girlfriend or divorce cases. A family member is sick, an accident of a family member, or the death of a friend or family member. These situations contribute to the depression of an astronaut in space.
How Astronauts Maintain Their Mental Health
Space agencies know that the astronaut will be living in space for quite some time. They used studies on arctic bases to keep astronauts sane in their whole trip. Space agencies are very particular with their crew selection and compatibility.
Astronauts are given adequate sleep, healthy and good tasting food, exercise, substantial work, leisure time with other space crews, the availability of social and recreational events – music, movies, and virtual contact with family and friends.
Astronauts are expected to adjust to a new environment with reduced living quarters and limited hygiene facilities, build working relationships with crewmates, keep in touch with friends and family way back home, and balance tasks and rest and sleep.
Good mental health is vital for the astronauts, so space agencies shouldn’t ignore mental health challenges and issues.
Truth Behind Astronauts
No astronaut has ever traveled farther away from Earth than our own Moon. Space agencies sent robotic probes to explore nearby planets and planets in the outer solar system. Still, no human has come even close to orbiting another planet.
Astronauts have always looked back on their homeworld. They see the world as a delicate blue marble floating in the obscurity of space. When astronauts see with their own eyes the beautiful world that holds the people they love, it gives them sort of a connection that provides a sense of stability and reassurance that they will return home after their mission is over.