Polish researchers to study astronauts' mental health

As Poland prepares for its historic space mission, a team of researchers is gearing up to examine how space conditions affect astronauts' mental well-being.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, an engineer and researcher, will represent Poland in a mission to the International Space Station later this year. The mission marks a major step for the country's growing presence in space exploration, officials have said.

Photo: Sebastiaan ter Burg from Utrecht, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Scheduled for launch this spring, the mission will mark Poland’s first-ever journey to the International Space Station (ISS), and only the second time a Polish astronaut has travelled to space—the first in nearly five decades.

The mission will include more than a dozen experiments across fields such as advanced technology, biology, medicine and psychology, all developed by Polish scientists and engineers.

Among these is the Astro Mental Health project, a comprehensive psychological study aimed at understanding how the human mind adapts to the extreme environment of space.

"We hope our research deepens our understanding of astronaut psychology, leading to improved monitoring and support procedures," project leader Agnieszka Skorupa said.

"Another goal is to validate research methods available on Earth to enhance our ability to study human behaviour in extreme, isolated environments," she added.

Here’s what happens to astronauts’ physical and mental health after months in space https://t.co/7KK98BFnlT pic.twitter.com/tRwhLUECMN

— New York Post (@nypost) March 18, 2025

NASA engineers must quantify everything. But, there’s one thing they can’t quantify: the mental health of astronauts. The documentary ‘Space: The Longest Goodbye’ examines psychologists’ role in missions to the moon and Mars.https://t.co/W4zASX49Rb

— Science News (@ScienceNews) March 12, 2024

Michał Owczarek has this report.

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