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Studies on real-world groups in extreme environments provide us insight into the many factors that impact group performance, health and well-being. Unlike simulation studies, the impact of environmental threat, physical hardship, as well as true isolation and confinement have proven to be key factors in individual and group coping. Psychological and sociocultural issues have been demonstrated to be critical components to success, as has the requirement for strong team interaction, coordination, communication, and cooperation. Methodologies and results of real world teams are discussed focusing on factors that affected functioning and well-being at both the physiological and psychological levels.

The impact of challenging environments on individual functioning and performance must be examined from the perspective of physiological, medical, and psychological perspectives. Psychosocial factors impacting on human behavior and performance in extreme environments are critical components of mission success. Simulation studies of isolation and confinement cannot match real-world performance in which the environmental stressors contribute significantly to team adaptation and functioning. Qualitative analyses of participation and interpersonal interaction were conducted in a descriptive case study involving a deep caving expedition spending a total of 40 days underground in which group dynamics played a significant part in the dissolution of the group across mission time.

To successfully exist in space, the goal of system designers today must be to provide an environment where current and future travelers may work efficiently and effectively over longer and longer periods of time. Ensuring human health and well-being involves habitability issues (e.g., resource requirements for hygiene, work, leisure), perceptual and sensory elements, biological issues and physiological and psychological factors that facilitate mental and emotional health. This overview covers the interrelations between life support engineering/human factors, the medical/ physiological factors and the psychological and social aspects of humans in space that will be key elements in the success of long-duration missions with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach.