DOI: 10.7256/2453-8817.2017.2.23131

Abstract: Many places on Earth have been used as analogs of space vehicles, with the goal of understanding the pressures and stresses of a long-duration spaceflight such as a round-trip voyage to Mars. One of these is the situation common to many of the aged, especially those who live in group housing: planned communities, assisted living centers, or nursing homes. This paper looks at the lessons that space psychology and geriatric psychology can teach each other. Traditionally, both the literature on aging and that on spaceflight have focused on the problems that their population of interest experiences, and on what can be done to alleviate the negative effects of those problems – or, more familiarly, on countermeasures. The problems are due to or mediated by, stress, which is a common factor in both literatures.There are many common factors related to successful aging and successful spaceflight. Increased cross-flow of ideas between the two research communities would be fruitful.