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This study presents a projected crew task timeline and skill mix for the exploration of the lunar surface in the Habot mobile lunar habitat. It takes the approach of defining crew task sets for crews of 8, 6, and 4, crewmembers to carry out proportionate amounts of work, corresponding to how many crewmembers are on the mission. It provides for the division of responsibilities between crewmembers who perform EVA and IVA tasks, and between those who go on an excursion away from the base and those who remain at the base. A particular feature of the model is that the amount of time devoted to science is set as a constant -- an inviolable amount of crew time that normal maintenance and operations work cannot erode. The importance of this capability arises from the International Space Station experience in which sometimes only 100 crew-minutes per day, or even less, has been available for science.

Architecture is about designing space for people to live and work in. Horology and calendrics are about designing time systems for people to live by. They could collectively be called “time architecture.” To understand the design implications of the architecture of time requires a working knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, as well as a thorough understanding of how cultures have designed and used time throughout history. Time architecture is at the intersection of the space, the biomedical, and the social sciences. Timekeeping issues of human activities on the Moon and on Mars bring the considerations of time architecture into focus. The length of the Martian sol is close enough to that of the Earth day to serve as a useful regulator of the diurnal rhythms of humans on Mars, as well as other species we will bring with us. This is in stark contrast to the Moon’s 29-day cycle of day and night, which is far too long to serve such a purpose.

The authors report the results of an ongoing study that investigates the effects of crew size, composition, mission duration, and mission interval on behavior and performance among polar and space expeditions. The standardized rates for a behavior/performance indicator constructed during the pilot study displayed distinctive patterns across different crew profiles and settings. Then, a further analysis over the missions in the pilot sample found compelling information suggesting that several factors created specific differentials between outside (baseline) groups (e.g., mission controllers, “folks back home”) and groups in extreme environments. These differentials reflected how the passage of time was subjectivized by crews and how the expeditionary situation was otherwise defined differently from baseline. These analyses suggest that the definition of the long-duration mission, such as a mission to Mars, likely involves more than the issue of real-time duration.

A study is discussed that seeks to collect baseline data from the International Space Station (ISS) Simulator, and in so doing, construct a measuring instrument to assess social states (group functioning) in the extreme environment, as proposed originally by social psychologist Irwin Altman. Six indicators with discrete values would be sampled among crews: 1) numbers of communicative modes, 2) unique communications, 3) efficient communication, 4) cuing behaviors, 5) informal behaviors, and 6) personal evaluations communicated to one another. The indicators would be charted chronologically and on profile at regular intervals, permitting the prediction of psychosocially nominal and off-nominal behaviors. The results of the study can be easily meshed with findings of other studies for a potentially powerful statement about future ISS group functioning.