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Cultural Determinations of Co-working, Performance and Error Management in Space Operations (Cult)
04.26.13

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Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Imagery

Experiment Overview

This content was provided by Gro M. Sandal, Ph.D., and is maintained in a database by the ISS Program Science Office.

Information provided courtesy of the Erasmus Experiment Archive.
Brief Summary

The crew members will fill out questionnaires preflight and postflight, as well as during their stay on the station. These questionnaires will aim to expose the challenges in collaboration across agencies, so that the crew can work together better.

Principal Investigator(s)

  • Gro M. Sandal, Ph.D., University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

  • Vadim I. Gushin, Ph.D., M.D., Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia

    • Developer(s)

    European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, , Netherlands

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    European Space Agency (ESA)

    Sponsoring Organization

    Information Pending

    Research Benefits

    Information Pending

    ISS Expedition Duration:

    April 2006 - April 2007

    Expeditions Assigned

    13,14

    Previous ISS Missions

    A similiar investigation, Interactions, was performed on previous ISS expeditions.

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    Experiment Description

    Research Overview

    • In the past, crew members have cited things such as leadership styles, acceptable risk, and rule adherence as points of conflict on board ISS. This study will minimize that conflict.


    • A study of the interactions between different cultures and agencies on board the ISS will be accomplished and transported back to Earth.


    • The impact will be better crew efficiency on future missions to ISS because of a better understanding of the way the different agencies and cultures work.

    Description

    Before flight, all crew members will be required to participate in two sessions for this experiment. The first will take approximately 150 minutes, while the second will take about 75 minutes. These sessions will record astronauts' feelings toward other cultures before leaving for space providing a benchmark. Once the crewmembers are onboard ISS, they will take another questionnaire, similar to the first but more relevant to the timeframe. They will each be given independent passwords to access their questionnaires, so confidentiality is protected. By doing this, the crew can give more honest answers without fear of repercussion.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    This will give us a better understanding of the way the different agencies work together, the trouble spots to work on, and the cultural differences to respect. This will provide more efficient use of the station, because there will be less conflict.

    Earth Applications

    This research can also be used in international diplomatic relations as well as in international business ventures to better understand other countries and their cultures.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    Before flight, participating crewmembers will be required to participate in two sessions for this experiment. The first will take approximately 150 minutes, while the second will take about 75 minutes. These sessions will record astronauts' feelings toward other cultures before leaving for space providing a benchmark. Once the crewmembers are onboard ISS, they will take another questionnaire, similar to the first but more relevant to the timeframe. They will each be given independent passwords to access their questionnaires, so confidentiality is protected.

    The questionnaire will consist of 59 items, and is expected to take 20 to 25 minutes to complete. They will do this every four weeks for the duration of the mission. Upon their return to Earth, they will attend two more sessions, much like their preflight sessions. Each session will last 120 minutes. Cult is planned to be carried out over multiple Expedition Crews requiring eight subjects.

    Operational Protocols

    Individually, each of the crew members will log on to the Cardiocog laptop. They input their password, given to them privately by the investigator, and fill out the questionnaire. They do this in a private place, so that the information obtained is not biased. Then they zip their file and save it to the disk. They log off the laptop, and the next crew member logs on and does their questionnaire.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Related Websites
  • The information provided is courtesy of the ESA Astrolab Mission web page.

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    Imagery

    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Research-Helpline.
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