The overall aim of the proposed study is to determine whether the communications delays likely to be experienced on a mission to Mars will result in clinically or operationally significant decrements in crew behavior and performance.  As a first phase of a planned two-phase investigation, we hope to accomplish the following utilizing analog environments (which are further described below):

Aim 1:  Determine the feasibility and acceptability of conducting such a study in ground-based analogs and aboard the International Space Station.

Aim 2:  Determine if there is an association between delays in communication experienced during a Mars mission is associated with decrements in individual and crew behavior and performance

Aim 3: Identify confidence intervals for determining range of communication delays to be examined in subsequent ISS increments.

Future space missions involve both a long-duration and long communication delays (up to 30 seconds for Near Earth Asteroid / Near Earth Orbit missions and up to 40 minutes for Mars missions). These factors mean that training crewmembers for these missions requires durable training, surviving long delays between training and actual use of the learned knowledge and skills. Yet, the current intervals of on-board-training (OBT) for emergencies and to maintain currency on EVA and the robotic arm are largely based on anecdotal experience. Furthermore, all our theories and knowledge about skill acquisition, retention, and transfer to new situations are based on studies conducted at university laboratories with undergraduate students as research subjects. We do not know how well these studies apply to astronauts in space operations.
We do not know how well crews retain knowledge trained pre-flight, how well the knowledge transfers, how frequently critical skill should be refreshed, or what type of information or guidance need to be available for autonomous crews in terms of Just-in-Time (JIT) training and performance support tools.

Three specific aims are included in this study:

1. Test the retention and transfer of specific technical content learned pre-launch to assess the need for (and possible schedule of) onboard refresher and JIT training.
2. Compare the process of skill decay on orbit with that of a closely matched subject on Earth, and with that of university undergraduate students on Earth.
3.  Collect naturalistic data from onboard and previously flown crew on training-related crew performance including: performance errors, requests for ground support, need to review previously learned material, and training success stories. 

These results, along with results from the subsequent Training Retention – Flight Validation study, will help close the gap on how to determine retention in operational spaceflight and will identify information and guidance likely to be needed in the form of refresher training, JITT, or performance support tools.

The study addresses interests of three different Elements within the Human Research Program (HRP), and will thus be a close collaboration among these elements: Human Factors and Behavioral Performance (HFBP) and (ExMC) Exploration Medical Capabilities.

1. Complete a literature review and conducting an operational assessment of current countermeasures that are relevant to the Team Risk (specifically focusing on monitoring task performance, psychosocial performance, and teamwork) including those countermeasures related to virtual reality.

2. Report interim findings at the completion of each of the project components.

(1) identify evidence-based guidelines/best practices for training to maximize team cohesion, and team performance
(2) design, develop, and validate evidence-based instructional strategies to mitigate performance failures from cohesion decrements among spaceflight crews and coordinating ground crews
(3) design, develop, and validate an evidence-based index measuring and diagnosing cohesion over the course of a mission

Long-duration, exploration-class missions (LDEM) present new training challenges, as these missions significantly differ from our past exploration experience. We cannot predict all the tasks crewmembers may be required to perform during such missions, and thus cannot design pre-flight training to address tasks about which we do not yet know. This lack of knowledge requires a shift from task-based training typical of past and current space missions to skill-based training that focuses on the long-term retention and generalization of pre-flight training to transfer to new and unexpected onboard operations. However, we do not know the characteristics of skills and knowledge that lead to better retention, generalization, and transfer nor do we know the best training principles that support retention, generalization, and transfer.

1. Identify characteristics of skills and knowledge that lead to better retention, generalization, and transfer. (i.e. identify what enables learners to apply trained skills and knowledge to new tasks.)

2. Identify training practices that support retention, generalization, and transfer, such as integrated training in the operational context.

These results will help close the gap on generalizable skills by identifying characteristics of skills and training practices that support training retention, generalization, and transfer.