Sociopsychological aspects of a winter vigil at South Pole station

A critical review of design and use of field tent shelters in polar regions

“…Some studies attempted to determine the characteristics of a person able to withstand the pressures of the harsh and confined environment (Gunderson 1974), to find out different coping mechanisms, or to help facilitate the adaptation (Natani and Shurley 1979;Carrere 1990;Mocellin andSuedfeld 1991;Cravalho 1994;Offen 1994). From an environmental behavioral point of view, adaptation to an environment is only one of the two essential human interactions with its environment.…”

The Human Element In Space: Lessons From Antarctica

“…At one station, for instance, there was an explicitly stated social norm that the community was a mutually supportive integrated whole that would deal with stress by concerted effort (Blair, 1983 Other sociocultural and occupational sources of conflict in Antarctic research stations have been the status of station members as superiors or subordinates (such as officers vs enlisted Navy personnel) and differences in levels of education. Navy Seabees, for instance, may be threatened by the intimate presence of personnel with superior formal education who tend to evaluate their performance using different criteria (Natani and Shurley, 1974). Different occupational subgroups, both military and civilian, are characterized by different motivation and personal values (Gunderson and Nelson, 1966) and personality traits (Gunderson and Mahan, 1966).…”

Antarctica as a model for the human exploration of Mars

“…The relative humidity is too low to permit accurate measurement. The annual seasons consist of one continuous day (summer) and one continuous night (winter), each lasting approximately six months (Natani and Shurley, 1974). Traditionally associated with this harsh environmeist have been the 8 constant dangers of fire, frostbite, and getting lost in the dark (McGuire and Tolchin, 1961).…”