On Orbit and Beyond

Douglas A. Vakoch is a professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, as well as the director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute. Dr. Vakoch is a licensed psychologist in the state of California, and his psychological research, clinical, and teaching interests include topics in psychotherapy, ecopsychology, and methodologies of psychological research. As a corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics, Dr. Vakoch chairs that organization's Study Groups on Interstellar Message Construction and Active SETI. Through his membership in the International Institute of Space Law, he examines policy issues related to inter-stellar communication. He is the editor of several published and forth-coming volumes. Dr. Vakoch serves as general editor of the book series Ecofeminist Theory and Practice, published by Berghahn Books, and he is a member of the editorial board of the journal Ecopsychology. Dr. Vakoch has chaired numerous workshops and conference sessions, including several symposia at recent annual conventions of the American Psychological Association on the psychology of space exploration and on environmental psychology. While completing his M.A. in history and philosophy of science at the University of Notre Dame, he focused on both the history of astronomy and the history of psychology. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a Quantitative Concentration from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. After finishing his predoctoral clinical internship in health psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital and Clinics, Dr. Vakoch completed a National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology at Vanderbilt University.

Introduction: Psychology and Space Exploration. Part I: Surviving and Thriving in Extreme Environments.- Chapter 1. Behavioral Health .- Chapter 2. From Earth Analogues to Space: Learning How to Boldly Go.- Chapter 3. Patterns in Crew-Initiated Photography of Earth from the ISS: Is Earth Observation a Salutogenic Experience?.- Chapter 4. The Roles of NASA, U.S. Astronauts, and Their Families in Long-Duration Missions.- Part II: Interpersonal Dimensions of Space Exploration.- Chapter 5. Human Interactions On-orbit.- Chapter 6. Managing Negative Interactions in Space Crews: The Role of Simulator Research.- Chapter 7. Gender Composition and Crew Cohesion During Long-Duration Space Missions.- Chapter 8. The Risk for Groupthink During Long-Duration Space Missions: Results from a 105-Day Confinement Study.- Part III: Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Space Exploration.- Chapter 9. Psychology and Culture During Long-Duration Space Missions.- Chapter 10. Flying with Strangers: Postmission Reflections of Multinational Space Crews.- Chapter 11. Cross-Cultural and Spaceflight Psychology: Arenas for Synergistic Research.- Part IV: Autonomy in Future Space Missions.- Chapter 12. High Versus Low Crewmember Autonomy in Space Simulation Environments.- Chapter 13. Effects of Autonomous Mission Management on Crew Performance, Behavior, and Physiology: Insights from Ground-Based Experiments.- Chapter 14. Near-Term Extended Solar System Exploration.- Chapter 15. From Earth's Orbit to the Outer Planets and Beyond: Psychological Issues in Space.- Afterword. From the Past to the Future.

From the reviews of the first edition "Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective":

"Vakoch has done a commendable job... . To say this book is a distinctive, often forgotten aspect of human space travel, is an understatement. ... there is the right stuff of the early astronauts. ... Thanks goes to Vakoch for his dedication to this field, and in bringing so many important contributions forward - in this book and elsewhere. ... Check this book out ... don't leave home without it!" (Leonard David, spacecoalition.com, September 24, 2011)

"The book ... does get into considerable detail about some research, and there's some jargon particular to the behavioral sciences. ... For those interested in issues of how humans get along with each other in space ... Psychology of Space Exploration offers an overview of the history of, an current state of research in, this field." (Jeff Foust, The Space Review, October 10, 2011)

"This NASA book fills in some of the gaps in the analysis of what, for brevity, is known as space psychology. ... What makes this volume different, according to its foreword, is "the depth with which the authors have engaged the history of the psychology of space exploration". This is designed to make it more accessible to those of us outside the psychology profession ... . most readers will appreciate the real-life examples and occasional humour." (Mark Williamson, Satellite Evolution, November 15, 2011)