What if someone that was in an environment such as the Space Station, a submarine or duty in Antarctica lost their marbles?
I realize that people are highly screened for such duties but nothing that measures mental capability is 100% accurate. What procedures are in place for the worst case scenario where one of the inhabitants suddenly develops a severe mental illness such as claustrophobia or paranoia and they could not be immediately evacuated from a very confined space?
Are there any cases on record or any stated procedures?
I doubt that there’s anything like a jail on the ISS. If the person’s mental problems were severe enough that they were endangering the rest of the crew (like maybe extreme paranoia or something) then I suppose the last resort would be to eject the guy out the airloack, and pray to God for a quick and fairly painless death. As for submarines, don’t naval vessels usually have a brig? That would be the place to confine the guy in that situation. I couldn’t tell you about Antarctic research stations. I’ve always thought that you had to be crazy to go down there in the first place
My guess is that sedation (or in the case of psychosis, antipsychotics medication) whould be used. They don’t call it “chemical restraints” for nothing.
on mrAru’s original submarine right out of boot camp someone had to be hit with thorazine and kept in a strait jacket for a week until they could get to port.
At night they used wrist restraints on the he dispensary exam table to hold him while he slept.
Our submarine corpsman (“Doc”) also had a few straitjackets and sedatives in stock, but they were never used while I was on board.
I’ve always heard that they screened people thoroughly prior to submarine service, but as a junior officer going through 18 months of training at nuclear power school, nuclear power prototype, and submarine school, all prior to reporting to my sub, they never seemed to get around to it. Maybe they only do it for the enlisted guys.
I had already been on a 3-month patrol on a ballistic-missile submarine as a midshipman, but there was no “screening” or interview prior to that, either. On that same patrol, we did have another midshipman who decided that subs were not for him about 2 days into the patrol. He took to sitting in the Machinery #1 compartment (IIRC), staring up at the hatch leading to the escape trunk. People were speculating (not really seriously) as to whether or not he would just decide to leave one night. :eek:
U.S. submarines don’t have room for a brig. Virtually all of the space in subs are full of machinery, equipment, stores, and weapons.
I am certain that no astronaut would ever be ejected out the airlock. They would be forcibly restrained and sedated (to unconsciousness, if necessary) instead.
I used to work for a guy who had been a submarine captain in the Royal Navy. He once told us a story about keeping a crewman restrained and sedated in an out-of-the way corner of the engine room for several weeks during a cruise. (At the time he was lamenting that he couldn’t do the same to certain troublesome employees … .)
Yeah. Actually, the idea of opening the airlock and getting close enough to a Postal Astronaut isn’t a real bright one, even leaving ethics aside. Lose control of the guy for a split second, and you could wind up getting ejected instead… and it’s not like our current spacecraft are in a good position to chase after you without burning silly amounts of fuel.
