Jan 21 1997
From The Space Library
Astronaut John E. Blaha, just returning from a four-month stay aboard the Mir space station, reported that he had experienced feelings of depression and anxiety during his long deployment in space. Blaha indicated that the conditions aboard Mir, rather than any elements of the space environment, had caused his difficulty. According to Blaha, the lack of private quarters for U.S. astronauts, who unlike the Russian cosmonauts did not have even small personal quarters, was one of the most difficult aspects of his stay aboard Mir. He also reported that, although relations with his Russian counterparts always had remained respectful, the tension of getting to know men who spoke a different language in such tight quarters created "another element of psychological pressure and stress," aside from the inevitable feelings of isolation. Blaha reported that he had experienced psychological depression, especially during his first month aboard the Russian space station. He made these remarks aboard Shuttle Atlantis as it returned him to Earth, in the course of radio communications with four people living inside an airtight chamber at JSC in Houston, who were taking part in a 60-day experiment for future ISS deployments.
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