
Our scientist will conduct an experiment during the IGNIS mission
Prof. dr hab. Dariusz Galasiński of the Department of Audiovisual Arts at the Institute of Journalism and Social Communication, together with scientists from other universities, is working on the “AstroMentalHealth” experiment. The experiment will be carried out during the IGNIS mission with the participation of dr Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. The project is coordinated by the University of Silesia, along with the participating of the University of Wrocław, the University of Zielona Góra, SWPS, and LunAres Research Station.
The AstroMentalHealth experiment will study the impact of isolation, technology, and restricted contact with nature on the mental well-being of astronauts. The experiment aims to investigate how a stay on a space station impacts the emotions experienced by mission members, the effectiveness of their work while in weightlessness, as well as their interactions with a highly demanding environment in which they will stay and work.
The project’s research tools are mainly quantitative (psychological questionnaires) and qualitative methods. The last ones include, for example, analysis of video logs of crew members for the content they contain and expressions of certain emotions that might be observed in their facial expressions.
The goal of the project is to provide a better understanding of human psychological functioning under conditions of space isolation, for which the data collected during the mission will be used. The assumption of the project is to support the creation of more effective methods of remote mental health monitoring and the development of intervention programs within this scope in the future.
Prof. dr hab. Dariusz Galasiński is a linguist (Polish philology), and his interest mainly revolves around issues traditionally addressed by psychology and psychiatry. He skillfully connects these two fields in his works, analyzing discourse and, in particular, how people discursively construct their experiences. He has published books on the experience of depression among men and the experience of mental illness in fathers. Prof. dr hab. Dariusz Galasiński is the head of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research into Health and Illness at the University of Wrocław, established in September 2021. The first center in Poland, whose primary goal is to conduct research within the scope of social sciences and humanities of health and disease.

Translated by Jakub Wolf (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
Date of publication: 11.06.2025
Added by: EJK
Source: IGNIS