Food was also an important factor in the complaints. In three missions the 

 aquanauts selected their own food, and their requests were met to the greatest 

 extent possible using food from the closest supermarket, which was located 

 some hours away on Saint Thomas Island.^'' In the other seven missions, a pre- 

 programmed food selection of good nutrition and quality was offered, mostly in 

 frozen TV-d inner- type containers. 



In spite of the expense and care taken in providing these latter food menus, 

 thirty-nine of the forty complaints made about food quality occurred in the 

 mission with the preprogrammed foods. This is attributed primarily to the 

 factor of self-selection. In addition, sixteen of the twenty complaints about 

 food storage were from aquanauts in the preprogrammed food contingency, and 

 fifteen of nineteen complaints about too much waste were from this same group. 

 Thus, it appears that the preprogrammed food not only ignored individual choices, 

 but also was over-packaged for a small habitat. 



Leisure Time Activities 



For purposes of this study leisure time was operationally defined as any non- 

 work, non-sleep, non-mealtime activity. This arbitrary definition may be 

 misleading because the people comprising the subject group were highly motivated 

 and doing the kind of "work" they most enjoy. 



As part of the involvement of this study in Project Tektite II, an attempt was 

 made to gain a degree of insight into how to select leisure provisions. To do 

 this, a wide range of options was placed in the habitat. These were two audio 

 tape decks with "spoken arts" cassettes and music which Included classical, 

 swing, rock, and country. There was a video tape deck with a stock of pre- 

 recorded movies and TV shows. Books ranged from Portnoy's Complaint to The 

 History of Latin American Art and Architecture . Games included checkers, chess, 

 playing cards, and others. There was also a supply of drawing materials. 



Leisure behavior was monitored in three ways: (I) aquanauts were asked to 

 evaluate leisure facilities on the HARS and the TEA; (2) in the debriefing 

 interview, all aquanauts were asked about the leisure activities that were 

 most enjoyed and what was missed most; and (3) one mission was observed daily 

 for location, participants, type, and duration of leisure activities. 



It was immediately striking that although aquanaut trainees commonly minimized 

 the expected importance of in-habitat recreational activities during their 

 briefings on the leisure provisions in the habitat, behavioral data gathered 

 by Dr. Helmreich indicates that aquanauts averaged over U-\/2 hr of leisure 

 time each day. In addition, HARS ratings of leisure items were very positive. 

 Recorded music was rated very high on the HARS (only temperature regulation, 

 floor coverings, and the shower scored higher); and games, book storage, social 

 area layout, social area furniture, and leisure modes were also rated highly. 

 The problems in leisure are indicated more clearly on the TEA ratings, which 



The importance of self-selection in creation of positive attitudes has been 

 given strong empirical support in recent studies by Zimbardo (1969). 



VIII -7 8 



