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Technical University of Crete
Technical University of Crete
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| URI: | http://purl.tuc.gr/dl/dias/7A7FAA95-DC63-486A-B779-0465BD42D38F | ||
| Year | 2013 | ||
| Type of Item | Conference Full Paper | ||
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| Bibliographic Citation | M. Liapi, A. Oungrinis, E. Gkologkina, A. Kelesidi, D. Linaraki, M. Paschidi, L. Gargalis, A. Klothakis, D. Mairopoulos, (2013). The astronaut’s playscape: supporting creativity through play in long-term missions beyond earth orbit. Presented at 64th International Astronautical Congress. [Online]. Available: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/280646196_The_astronaut's_playscape_Supporting_creativity_through_play_in_long-term_missions_beyond_earth_orbit | ||
| Appears in Collections |
A creative playscape within habitable spacecraft modules is a health and performance countermeasures initiative that targets the everyday living patterns of the astronauts in longCterm missions in order to facilitate their adaptation in the confined, isolated environment. Such a playscape is powered up by transformable, intelligent spatial settings and objects that promote play and channel problemCsolving along with a better mood. Its design scope is to introduce play and create the possibilities and the reasons for the astronauts to expand their personality, forgetting for a while the disciplined scientist and immersing into a different world.The positive impact of play in people’s lives is well documented but there is little implementation of playscapes (environments specialized in assisting and empowering play activities) in adult environments. Especially for astronauts, play is an essential activity since it provides them with an appropriate mind drifting task and also, as the biologist Marc Bekoff puts it, it can train them for the unexpected. Play not only enhances creativity but moreover it is known to cultivate mental readiness, confidence, positive framing and commitment. Astronauts have always been trying to deal with the psychosocial stresses of their confinement by devising impromptu games with objects from their surrounding interior or by creatively exploring the effects of weightlessness with their bodies. However, the contemporary approach regarding organized play in spacecraft environments is limited to certain devices and kits. Recognizing this gap and in relation to the importance of play, this paper structures a set of play categories for a microgravity habitat and proposes a framework of game types that can create a playscape aloft and help astronauts see the world afresh.
Copyright © DIAS 2013
