Plants as countermeasures in long- duration space missions: A review of Introduction the literature and research strategy Scott Bates 1 , Vadim Gushin 2 , Joshua Marquit 1 , Gail Bingham 3 & “Last week I got to photograph the Vladimir Sychev 2 soybeans. This experiment is growing in a completely enclosed environment, so I 1 Utah State University, USA, 2 Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russia, 3 Space Dynamics Laboratory, USA hadn't been able to see the progress of the growth…It was surprising to me how great six soybean plants looked. I assumed it was because I like plants, but Valery and Sergey had the same reaction and even wanted their photos taken with the plants. I guess seeing something green…for the first time in a month and a half, had a real effect. ” -- Expedition 5 Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 2003 Introduction Introduction “Sergey, of course, thought we should “Today is the day that for the first eat them as a salad. I managed to save time man eats plants that he grew the science and get them into the rack specifically for that purpose in before he was able to eat them! From a space…This is the first in history, psychological perspective, I think it's and man, I really want to eat!… interesting that the reaction was as This is mind boggling, the taste is dramatic as it was...” unlike that on earth. On earth you would have to not eat greens - Expedition 5 Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 2003 for two or three months to experience what we are feeling” -- Kalari & Zaletin, 2001
Introduction The Lada VPU • Ryumin (1980) describes the pleasure that he derived from tending the experimental garden onboard the Soviet Salyut 6 space station; Lebedev ([1983] 1988) reports similar experiences during a later mission. • Anatoli Berezovoy told a reporter that Lebedev had never before grown plants, but on Salyut, he would rush to their "Oaziz" installation every morning as soon as he awakened to tend the peas and oats growing there. • The agricultural activities apparently transcended the experimental requirements, and the cosmonauts found themselves devoting much of their leisure time to gardening. Intensity of Interaction Benefit Domains
Structure / Psychological Benefits Organization • Passive • Benefit Domains • Wellbeing • Social • Ulrich, 1979; Wells & Evans, 2003 • Mood/Affect • Psychological • Shibata and Suzuki, 2002, 2004; Hietanen & Korpela, • Physiological 2004; Korpela, Klemettila, & Hietanen, 2002; Cackowski & Nasar, 2003; Larsen, et al, 1998; • Intensity of Interaction Shoemaker, Relf & Bryant, 1992 • Low / Passive • Cognitive Function / Attention • Fabor Taylor, Kuo & Sullivan, 2001 ; Wells, (2000) • High / Active • Mental Fatigue • Kuo, 2001 Research Example Psychological Benefits • Fabor Taylor, A., Kuo F. E., & Sullivan, W. C., • Active (2004 ). Coping with ADD. The surprising • Rehabilitation / Therapy connection to green play settings. Environment • Langer & Rodin, 1976; Rodin & Langer, 1977 and Behavior, 33 (1), 54-77. • S � derback, S � derstr � me & Sch � lander, 2004 • The parents of 96 children diagnosed with ADD were surveyed. Parents were asked about weekend and • Sandel, 2004 after-school activities that assisted functioning, and • Smith, 1998 general surroundings. • Well Being • Findings: • Kaplan, R., 1973 • “Green” activities were identified as ‘best’ for symptom management; better post-activity attentional functioning. • Children with more green-exposed play settings were rated as higher functioning
Research Example Physiological Benefits • Langer & Rodin, 1976; Rodin & Langer, 1977 • Passive • Elderly nursing home residents were assigned to • Stress Recovery experimental and control conditions (Langer & Rodin, • Ulrich et al 1991; Lohr, Pearson-Mims, & Goodwin, 1996 1976): high-control and low-control. • Health / Health Recovery • Findings • Ulrich, 1984 ; Fjeld, 2001; Moore, 1981 • Behavior and self-report measured showed • Reaction Time / Performance alertness, active participation and well-being (1976) • Larsen, et al, 1998; Lohr, Pearson-Mims, & Goodwin 1996; Shibata and Suzuki, 2002, 2004; Wise & Rosenberg, 1988 • Benefits seemed to sustain over time as nurses ratings and medical and mortality show (Rodin & Langer, 1977). Research Example Physiological Benefits • Ulrich, R. S. (1985). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, • Active 224, 420-421. • Exercise • Method: 46 surgical patients who were recovering • Fliegel Lewis & Mattson, 1988; Magnus, Matroos, & from gall-bladder surgery were exposed to one of Stackee, 1979 two room-conditions: a window view with tress, and a window view of another building. • Outcome: Patients exposed to the natural scene were found to have shorter post-op hospital stays, used less pain medication and had fewer negative comments in nurses’ notes.
Social Benefits Research Example • Cackowski, J. M, & Nasar, J. L., (2003). The • Passive restorative effects of roadside vegetation. • Frustration Tolerance / aggression Implications for automobile driver anger and frustration. Environment and Behavior, 35 (6), • Cackowski & Nasar, 2003 736-751. • Kuo & Sullivan, 2001 • Method: participants were randomly assigned to one of • Communication three videotaped highway drives that varied in their level • Shoemaker, Relf & Bryant, 1992 of vegetation. State/trait anger was assessed, as was frustration tolerance (time spent on unsolvable anagrams). • Residential Satisfaction • Findings: State/Trait anger did not differ across the • Kaplan, 1985 conditions. Frustration tolerance did: higher levels of present vegetation was met with more frustration tolerance. Social Benefits Research Example • Shinew, K. J., Glover, T.D., & Parry, D. C. (2004). • Active Leisure spaces at potential sites for interracial • Community Building interaction: community gardens in Urban areas. • Bonham, 1992 Journal of Leisure Research, 36 (3), 336-355. • Interracial Interaction • Method: community gardeners were selected randomly and interviewed. • Shinew, Glover & Parry, 2004 • Findings: • Aggression • Community gardens were somewhat supportive of • Sandel, 2004 interracial contact. • Community gardeners believed that the setting was supportive of interracial contact.
Implications Research Strategy • The nature of long-duration space-flight, including increased crew autonomy, and • Survey of Space Explorers isolation from standard models of psychological support, necessitates new • Proposals for Chamber Studies models for support. • Potential for Future Flight Studies • One counter to these distinct conditions may be what R. Kaplan (2001) referred to as “enhancing micro-restorative opportunities.” • Plants may provide these opportunities. Survey Project Survey Project • Participants. • A survey will be conducted in the summer/fall of 2007. The ground survey serves two key functions: • Surveys will be distributed to all active US Astronauts, all active Russian Cosmonauts and • Collection of self-report data regarding experiences all members of the Association of Space Explorers . with plants on mission and expectations and thought concerning the potential role having/tending plants • Respondents will be classified into three groups: could serve on longer missions. • Pilot testing and development of strategies for testing Flown Missions With Flown Missions the primary hypothesis in subsequent research project Plants Without Plants (s) including (potentially) additional ground studies (e.g. chamber studies), and/or potential flight studies. Rookie Astronauts Veteran Astronauts Veteran Astronauts & Cosmonauts & Cosmonauts & Cosmonauts
Survey Project Chamber Proposals • In order to further address this potential efficacy • Survey Instrument of plants as a countermeasure, proposals will be • Web-based survey with reactive skip-patterns. submitted for studies to be included in the Mars/ • The survey will assess: 500-day Chamber Study and the preparatory • Perceptions of having plants on missions, or chamber studies. perceptions of having had plants on missions; • Perception of any mood, social or individual psychological impact that having plants on missions could/did result, and; • Demographic / background characteristics which may impact respondents’ reports of these experiences Potential for Flight Chamber Proposals Studies • Several outcomes will be targeted, including mood, preference, effort / time-spent, and social function. • All of the data that are collected in the Key predictor variables include presentation of the plants and greenhouse, how the effort impacts context of the survey and chamber studies outcomes, and how background characteristics impact will be used to support the creation of a outcome. As outlined below. focused, ecologically valid, flight study. How do “background How does “presentation” How does “effort” impact characteristics” impact impact outcomes? outcomes? outcomes? • Type of plants • Type/style of effort • Experience with plants • Degree of access • Intensity of effort • Training / Education • Style of access • Function of the effort • Role • Structure of access • Personality
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