It's not just space camp

November 10, 2023 7:21 AM

"Inside the small world of simulating other worlds" by Sarah Scoles examines the challenges for analog astronauts of emulating space habitats as well as the difficulty of re-entering society after their artificial isolation.
posted by autopilot (4 comments total)

I've recently returned from a month at sea with little-to-no internet^* and working, sleeping, and eating 24x7 with the small crew on my watch on the sailboat, so this article really resonated with me. It is surprising how much you can come to care about your found family in that sort of isolated situation, and how limited words are in describing the experiences to others.

The quote about "missing the team and the sense of shared purpose" is exactly how I felt after the trip -- despite the sleep deprivation and the hard work, knowing that you have a task to do as soon as you're woken up by the off-going watch and that everyone else is going to jump into the effort without complaint brings such a feeling of camaraderie that is missing in normal life.
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*: When we passed through the English Channel, I went aloft the foremast to the royal yard and was able to catch some distant cell towers to fetch my mail, but was off-grid for the rest of the trip.
posted by autopilot at 7:33 AM on November 10, 2023 [9 favorites]

Apollonio thought HI-SEAS had avoidable problems. For one, the bathroom had only a composting toilet, which the mission crew weren’t allowed to pee in, and a urinal, which the women had to use, too.

Oh, for Pete's sake. Wondering who the genius was behind that led me to the website for the International MoonBase Alliance and this bit of nonsense: "Today, Hawai‘i is a melting pot of Polynesian, Pacfic Rim, European, West and East Coast cultures. There is no ethnic majority—all races, religions, and cultures are welcome and assimilated—there are only locals." I know the point of the piece isn't sexism or racism or erasure of Native Hawaiians but dang it sure is hard to avoid it.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:20 AM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

Anyway! That was really interesting.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:25 AM on November 10, 2023

Oh wow, I was reading through and started thinking about '90s startup culture, and how shared trauma builds relationships, but also...

If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding under my desk.
posted by straw at 11:11 AM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]