Understanding Team Cognition in Support of Long-Distance Space Missions

Abstract

Future long-distance space missions (LDSM) present formidable challenges due to prolonged isolation, communication delays, and extreme conditions, which affect individual and team cognitive functions, crucial for mission success. This necessitates a higher degree of autonomy, emphasizing the importance of team cognition in managing the complexities of LDSMs. Although prior research has largely focused on individual cognition, the collective cognitive processes that support effective team performance in space have been less studied. This oversight is critical as factors like microgravity and isolation can impair individual level cognitive functions vital for teamwork, such as attention and working memory. This paper employs the Macrocognition in Teams Model to study publicly available transcripts from the Apollo space missions to understand the challenges to collaborative problem-solving in these complex and high stress environments.