Choosing the Right Stuff: The Psychological Selection of Astronauts and Cosmonauts

by Patricia A. Santy

Overview

For the first time the history of the psychological and psychiatric evaluation of astronaut and cosmonaut candidates is detailed. The general public and many professionals assume that psychological issues have been and will be extremely important factors in successful space exploration. This book, however, documents how NASA underutilized, downplayed, then ultimately ignored psychiatric and psychological characteristics in selecting astronauts, until very recently.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275942366
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/30/1994
Series:	Human Evolution, Behavior, and Intelligence
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.81(d)
Lexile:	1420L (what's this?)

About the Author

PATRICIA A. SANTY is Consultation Liaison Psychiatrist at a large General Hospital in Michigan.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
The Beginning of the Future—Project Mercury
Introduction
One of Those Interesting Social Phenomena—Gemini and Apollo
Opening the New Frontier—Shuttle
The Dual Role of Behavioral Sciences—Selecting-In and -Out
Not Everyone Can Fly—The Psychiatric Evaluation
The "Real" Psychological Stuff for Missions of the Future
An Invitation to Orbit, Part 1—The European Space Program
An Invitation to Orbit, Part II—Japan Enters the Space Age
The Soviet Right Stuff
Space Station, Lunar Base, Mars, and Beyond
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index
Photo Essay

Editorial Reviews

In response to NASA's refusal to acknowledge and address the psychological factors of space flight, and in view of plans for longer missions of exploration, Santy, formerly a Medical Officer at NASA Johnson Space Center and the crew surgeon for a number of shuttle missions, including Challenger, explores the history and current status of psychiatry and psychological issues in the Space Program. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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