had an effect. This analysis procedure could be employed because in the mission 

 design for Tektite 11^, aquanauts stayed beneath the sea for varying periods of 

 either \A, 20^ or 30 days. The principal question of concern was how people's 

 reactions to an isolated habitat vary according to the length of time they 

 live in It. The design of the Tektite mission program provided a good 

 opportunity to look into this question, particularly after having not found 

 any orderly relationships between mission duration and personality of the 

 aquanauts. 



Four missions, including 16 scientists and A engineers, were allowed only two 

 weeks in the habitat. These missions were at the beginning, middle, and end of 

 the program. Six missions, interspersed between the shorter missions, involved 

 longer durations of habitation. Members of these missions stayed either 20 or 

 30 days. 



A limited number of key variables thought to be particularly Informative as to 

 the quality of life in the habitat were selected. The orderly effects between 

 those aquanauts staying 14, 20, and 30 days were of interest, that is, whether 

 or not any of the variables would show a continuous rise or continuous decline 

 with Increase in mission length. 



These data are shown in Table V. Many variables do show orderly mission 

 duration effects. The overall means from the HARS and TEA and the overall 

 positivity score from the interview clearly decline as mission length increases, 

 as do attitudes toward recreational possibilities on the HARS and TEA. Although 

 aquanauts think less and less positively of the habitat as it is supportive to 

 their research (if scientists) or engineering tasks (if engineers) as mission 

 duration increases, this decline in positive attitudes clearly does not apply 

 to attitudes toward topside. On the latter key variable, there is a gradual 

 increase in positive feeling as mission duration increases. 



With respect to moods, it is clear the positive moods of social affection, 

 pleasantness, activation, and concentration tend to decline dramatically with 

 increase in mission duration. Interpretation of this finding is not as simple 

 as it would first appear, however, in that there is a slight but orderly 

 decrease in negative feelings as mission duration increases. This suggests 

 that, along with the dramatic decline in positive feeling, there is a tendency 

 for these moods to be replaced by a state of flat and steady unemotional i ty. 

 Apparently longer missions encourage aquanauts to be in a routinized, neutral 

 mood where there is less activation, less concentration, and less intensity 

 of feeling either In a positive or negative sense. 



Finally, In the behavioral variables there Is a decline in the percent time 

 of total work with longer duration missions, and a similar tendency for per- 

 centage of time in sleep to increase. Total percent time In leisure, however, 

 stays at a rather steady level throughout. 



The data discussed above are shown in graphic form in Figures 3 and 4. Of the 

 mood data, positive moods all show a similar slope in decline except for social 

 affection. The latter variable shows easily the steepest negative slope for 

 both scientists and engineers. The negative moods of anxiety and depression 

 (shown on an expanded scale) do not show as steep a decline as the positive 



VIII -83 



