Barrett, Jamie D.

Holland, Al

Sipes, Walter

NASA Technical Reports Server

Training the 8‐Balls:  
Psychological Readiness Preparation for 
the 2013 US Astronaut Class
Jamie Barrett, PhD
Al Holland, PhD
Walt Sipes, PhD
Behavioral Health and Performance
NASA‐Johnson Space Center
Wyle
Presented at the 122nd Annual Convention of the American 
Psychological Association on August 8, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140010660 2019-08-31T20:08:34+00:00Z
Class of 2013 – The 8‐Balls
From ASCAN to Astronaut
• s
Photos:  Original 7 – Mercury Astronauts
Why do astronauts 
need psychological 
readiness training?
After all, didn’t we 
select for the “right 
stuff”?

Psychological readiness 
training isn’t just about 
psychosocial adaptation 
and resilience.
It’s also about 
performance and 
mission safety.
Photo:  EVA (space walk) oops
Goals of Psychological 
Readiness Training
Psychological readiness 
training isn’t just about 
psychosocial adaptation 
and resilience.
It’s also about 
performance and 
mission safety.
Goals of Psychological 
Readiness Training
Photo:  EVA (space walk) oops
Behavioral Health Training Flow
• Two points at which we are more involved in 
their training
ASCAN Assigned
Photos:  Left—Class of 2009 including Japanese and Canadian ASCANs; Right—Clay Anderson
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Behavioral Health and Performance Group 
Overview 
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource management
Photo:  Opening a CCP (Crew Care Package)
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Karen Nyburg made a dinosaur for her son from scraps she found around the ISS
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Expedition 38/39 JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata making friends with Robonaut.
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Five space agencies represented on the ISS.
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Peggy Whitson
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Astronauts training in Wyoming in 2006 formed a table by digging out snow
Behavioral Health ASCAN Training
• Stress management
• Conflict management
• Cross‐cultural
• Expeditionary workshop
• NOLS field training
• Space flight resource 
management
Photo:  Crewmembers of NEEMO 15 (Shannon Walker & David Saint-Jacques) test procedures and tools 
developed for human exploration of near-Earth Asteroids.
SFRM Training Flow
Low Fidelity Simulations
SFRM Moon Base Feedback
• Each student monitored 
and coached by SFRM 
instructor
• Individual feedback 
Feedback based on 
SFRM BARS
• Narrative summary of 
feedback provided to 
ASCAN and to ASCAN 
Review Board
Photo:  The training room used for Moon Base is modeled after the FCR-1, the Flight Control 
Room used for Station operations
Thanks
•Photo:  Tracy Caldwell in the cupola looking at home, a favorite activity of every astronaut.
Back up slides
From ASCAN to Astronaut
• s
Page 20
Nominal Soyuz Capsule Landing
Why do astronauts 
need psychological 
readiness training?
After all, didn’t we 
select for the “right 
stuff”?
Expedition 16’s Ballistic Landing
Expedition 16’s Ballistic Landing
SFRM Training Flow
Overview
• Stand‐alone classes taught by SFRM experts
• Technical classes incorporating SFRM
• Technical sims with SFRM incorporated
• Low fidelity simulations
• T‐38
• Expeditionary workshop
• Field experience—NOLS
Photo:  Super Guppy swallowing a T-38.
SFRM Behavior Elements
The goal of the SFRM program is to reduce human errors in Space Flight Operations.
Situation Awareness:  
The capability to identify, process, 
and comprehend the critical 
information regarding what is 
happening with the team and 
situation with regards to mission 
success.  Simply put, sensing what 
is going on around you (including 
identifying disconfirming info and 
predicting effects.)
Cross-Cultural: 
Considering the effects of various 
cultures (nationalities, 
professions, heritage) on the 
workplace and peoples actions.
Leadership:
Directing a team or individual toward a common 
goal, developing and motivating team members 
as appropriate to tasks. 
Followership:
Following the leaders direction, while assessing 
individual and team behavior elements and 
providing input to best support the leader to 
reach the common goal.
Conflict management:
The ways individuals and teams identify 
and manage differences in opinion, 
perception, technical knowledge, 
personality, etc. to complete a task or 
mission.
Decision Making: 
The cognitive process leading 
to selecting a course of 
action, including an 
assessment of options and 
risks.
Teamwork: 
How individuals cooperate with 
each other to achieve a shared 
goal, including accepting 
accountability and 
responsibility for actions.
Team Care: 
How healthy the person or team is on a psychological 
level.  This can be influenced by various personal factors 
such as: stress, fatigue, boredom, training, sickness, etc.
Communications: 
To express oneself in such a way that one 
is readily and clearly understood.  This is 
accomplished by active listening and 
allowing for non-verbal actions. 
Lesson Learned
Developing & Implementing Good Role Plays
• Ask for real examples 
• Pilot the role play
• Provide context and 
increase realism
• Give some direction
• Debrief/After Action Review
Photo:  The card game happened before every shuttle flight and was a ritual handed down by NASA 
astronauts - though none seem to know the origin of the game. 
Lesson Learned
Balancing Instruction & Practice
• Instruction viewed as necessary but 
is it? 
• Practice is optional or is it?
• How to minimize instruction
– Determine how much instruction 
is required
• Before class reading material
• Pre‐test
• Survey via email or at 
beginning of class
– Other methods?
Photo:  Rick Mastracchio on second spacewalk with Mike Hopkins to change out a faulty water pump on 
the exterior of the ISS.
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  EVA (space walk) oops
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  EVA (space walk) oops
Lesson Learned
Incorporate Veterans into Newbies’ Training
• Newbies want to hear veterans talk 
of their experiences
• Newbies want to connect with 
veterans and sharing experiences 
help veterans connect with newbies.
• Learning others’ “war” stories adds 
an added depth that simulation 
training lacks. 
• Sharing experiences with newbies is 
a valuable way to bolster transfer of 
knowledge.
Photo:  C. J. Sturckow, commander of space shuttle mission STS-128, talks about his 2009 flight.
S.T.A.R.
• Stop and focus
• Think about the situation 
at hand
• Act on the chosen option
• Review the process and 
outcome
Adapted from the AmerenUE Callaway Nuclear Power Plant
Lesson Learned
Value of Low Fidelity Simulations
• Low fidelity sims have their place.  
• It doesn’t have to be high tech or on a 
mobile device to have high face validity 
and be well received.  
• Low fidelity sims can be valuable tools for 
teaching skills. 
– Can be flexible, easily adaptable  
– Practice skills in a safe environment
• Use as part of a tiered training system to 
guide them into incorporating soft skills 
(SFRM skills) into real world job situations 
– Improving soft skills aids technical 
performance
Photo:  JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata teaches Sesame Street kids the basics, “A” is for astronaut.
Lesson Learned
Focus In and Repeat
• Identify the 3 or so most critical 
lessons, skills, etc.
• Select people based on those 
factors
• Overtly teach them the 3 or so 
lessons
• Incorporate those factors into 
every aspect of a training flow
• Train for those factors 
repeatedly over time.
Photo:  Reflection in Skipochka’s visor shows a reflection of himself in the reflection of fellow cosmonaut 
Yurchikhin’s visor.
Back to ASCAN Psychological 
Readiness Training Flow
Photos:  Bailout training in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.  Left--a blurry Scott Horowitz falls helmet first.  
Right--Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialist Daniel T. Barry in floatation devices. 
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  Astronauts Ron Garan and Mike Fossum order pizza and ask about the “30 minutes or it’s 
free” delivery guarantee
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  Video is one way to keep in touch with family and friends.
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  Ellen Ochoa, current JSC Center Director, playing a flute she took on the shuttle.  Several 
instruments stay on the ISS such as the guitar Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield played in his rendition 
of Space Oddity (Major Tom) by David Bowie.
Behavioral Health Training for 
Assigned Astronauts
• Psychological Factors
• Practical Planning for 
Long‐Duration 
Missions
• Inflight Resource 
Planning
• Behavioral Medicine 
for Crew Medical 
Officer
Photo:  ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst practices a medical procedure.
• 2 ½ years
• 50% international 
travel
• One family trip
• Largely train alone
• 6 months – space 
mission
SFRM Training Flow
Low Fidelity Simulation—Moon Base
• Non‐technical, low fidelity tabletop simulation
• Players practice 
– planning, implementing, and debriefing SFRM skills as a team, and
– self‐correction techniques.
• 4‐5 students, 1 acts as mission control 
• Students are physically separated and use walkie‐talkies to 
communicate
• Planning session prior to playing the game
• Facilitated debrief follows the game
• Game is played twice in one day
• Scenarios can be tailored to meet needs of student or team
SFRM Training Flow
Low Fidelity Simulation—Moon Base
• Primary game objective—To have each crewmember travel 
to moon base and back and then launch successfully within 
the mission window
• 3 Versions of the game with increasing complexity and 
difficulty
– Version 1—Basic; meet primary objective
– Version 2—Intermediate; adds unexpected emergency and risk 
management scenarios 
– Version 3—Advanced; adds assigned mission roles and individual as 
well as team objectives
SFRM Training Flow
Low Fidelity Simulation—Moon Base
• Each student monitored and coached by SFRM instructor
• Individual feedback given at end of day 
• Feedback based on SFRM Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales
• 2 SFRM skill strengths 
• 2 goals for improving weakest SFRM skills 
• Narrative summary of this feedback discussion provided to 
ASCAN and to ASCAN Review Board (and International 
Partners for international ASCANs)


Training the 8-Balls: Psychological Readiness Preparation for the 2013 US Astronaut Class

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