Mann, Traci

Redden, Joe

Vickers, Zata

NASA Technical Reports Server

Zata Vickers
Traci Mann
Joe Redden
University of Minnesota
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140005024 2019-08-29T14:33:32+00:00Z
The experience of flight is inherently stressful, and individual’s moods and 
stress levels are not just nuisance factors that affect their quality of life.  
Moods and stress also have a significant impact on physical health. Because 
of this, it is important to take every opportunity to reduce the stress 
associated with space travel.  
Stress is commonly measured using methods such as heart rate, blood 
pressure, salivary cortisol, and responses to a variety of questionnaire 
measures of subjective feelings.  Moods and emotions are commonly 
measured by simply asking people to rate their feelings at a specific moment.
Eating and mood/emotions are connected.  Eating is associated with positive 
moods.  Moods generally (but not always) become more positive after eating, 
and people generally (but not always) eat more when they are in a positive 
mood.
• To determine whether the eating situation itself 
influences the stress or negative moods that 
astronauts might normally experience in flight. 
• To examine how moods and stress relate to food 
consumption and meal satisfaction on the ISS. 
Preflight Inflight
Participants will answer 
questionnaires about 
specific aspects of their 
personality that may relate 
to their food choices and
will tell us about specific 
foods they may want to eat 
on the International Space 
Station. 
Crew members will be asked to 
measure heart rate and blood 
pressure, to collect saliva samples, 
and to answer questions about the 
specific foods they ate, their 
opinions of those foods and their 
moods before and after several 
eating occasions.
Pre-flight (2 sessions)
• Participants will be given a short overview of the experiment and a 
demonstration of proper use of the HRF saliva collection hardware
• Participants will complete questionnaires:
 Maximizer vs. Satisficer Scale – a series of questions about the extent to 
which one prefers to select the single best option vs. an option that meets 
specific criteria. 
 Perceived Stress Scale – a series of questions about how stressful life is. 
 Personal Need for Structure – a series of questions about preferences for 
order vs. ambiguity. 
 Restraint Scale – a series of questions about dieting behaviors. 
 Food preferences
 Disliked tasks
 Special meals
In-flight activities
Menu Choice: (4 in-flight sessions)
• Participants will choose items from the ISS pantry to be eaten 
during this portion of the study.
• Participants will complete questionnaires about specific moods 
and responses to foods regarding mood, consumption and meal 
satisfaction.  
• Participants will collect saliva samples using the HRF saliva 
collection hardware
• Collected before and after 4 meals (8 saliva samples total).
• Participants will measure blood pressure and heart rate using the 
on-orbit blood pressure unit and cuff.
• Completed before and after 4 meals (8 measurements total).
In-flight activities
Prepackaged Meals: (6 in-flight sessions)
• Participants will eat prepackaged meals selected pre-flight alone 
or with others.
• Participants will complete questionnaires about mood and 
responses to foods regarding liking, consumption and meal 
satisfaction.  
Snack Foods: (5 in-flight sessions)
• Participants will eat food items in conjunction with performing 
specific tasks.
• Participants will complete questionnaires about moods and 
responses to foods regarding liking, consumption and satisfaction.  
 A better understanding of the relations between 
eating specific foods, socialization during eating, and 
changes in stress, emotions and moods will allow 
recommendations for healthy dining behaviors that 
maximize positive moods and minimize stress.


Astro Palate Experiment

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