Editing International Space Station (section)

====Stress====
There is considerable evidence that [[psychosocial]] stressors are among the most important impediments to optimal crew morale and performance.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Suedfeld|first1=Peter|author1-link=Peter Suedfeld|last2=Wilk|first2=Kasia E.|last3=Cassel|first3=Lindi|contribution=Flying with Strangers: Postmission Reflections of Multinational Space Crews|title=Psychology of Space Exploration, Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective|editor-last=Vakoch|editor-first=Douglas A.|year=2011|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|pages=143–176|isbn=978-1-46999770-4}}</ref> Cosmonaut [[Valery Ryumin]] wrote in his journal during a particularly difficult period on board the [[Salyut 6|''Salyut'' 6]] space station: "All the conditions necessary for murder are met if you shut two men in a cabin measuring 18 feet by 20 [5.5&nbsp;m × 6&nbsp;m] and leave them together for two months."

NASA's interest in [[Stress (psychological)|psychological stress]] caused by space travel, initially studied when their crewed missions began, was rekindled when astronauts joined cosmonauts on the Russian space station ''Mir''. Common sources of stress in early US missions included maintaining high performance under public scrutiny and isolation from peers and family. The latter is still often a cause of stress on the ISS, such as when the mother of NASA astronaut [[Daniel M. Tani|Daniel Tani]] died in a car accident, and when Michael Fincke was forced to miss the birth of his second child.

A study of the longest spaceflight concluded that the first three weeks are a critical period where attention is adversely affected because of the demand to adjust to the extreme change of environment.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Manzey|first1=D.|last2=Lorenz|first2=B.|last3=Poljakov|first3=V.|year=1998|title=Mental performance in extreme environments: Results from a performance monitoring study during a 438-day spaceflight|journal=Ergonomics|volume=41|issue=4|pages=537–559|doi=10.1080/001401398186991|pmid=9557591}}</ref> ISS crew flights typically last about five to six months.

The ISS working environment includes further stress caused by living and working in cramped conditions with people from very different cultures who speak a different language. First-generation space stations had crews who spoke a single language; second- and third-generation stations have crew from many cultures who speak many languages. Astronauts must speak English and Russian, and knowing additional languages is even better.<ref>{{cite web|date=23 August 2004|title=Behind the Scenes: The Making of an Astronaut|url=https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/isstraining/index.html|publisher=NASA|access-date=29 June 2018|archive-date=19 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719025001/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/isstraining/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Due to the lack of gravity, confusion often occurs. Even though there is no up and down in space, some crew members feel like they are oriented upside down. They may also have difficulty measuring distances. This can cause problems like getting lost inside the space station, pulling switches in the wrong direction or misjudging the speed of an approaching vehicle during docking.<ref name="bbc-20141007">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20141007-why-astronauts-get-space-stupid|title=Why astronauts get the 'space stupids'|last=Robson|first=David|date=7 October 2014|publisher=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811164510/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20141007-why-astronauts-get-space-stupid|archive-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>