Are you ready for the Moon Village?

The current pandemic situation has made prolonged isolation necessary for each of us, this has a certain similarity to what astronauts face during their missions in Earth orbit now and in the future on the Moon.

Space missions take place outside Earth, in confined and limited living spaces. This can cause, in the long run, stressful situations and behavioral problems that can interfere with the productivity and success of the mission.

For this reason, astronauts receive a specific training , and also their day, when, in orbit, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is cadenced by multiple activities that keep them always busy.

Astronauts have, as in everyday life, a rest period during the day that he/she uses while dedicating himself/herself to the preferred hobbies.
In addition, on the ISS, physical activity is necessary to avoid the negative effects that spaceflight has on the body due the low gravity.

The next step of human exploration beyond Earth is the construction of the Moon Village where the condition of isolation will be further accentuated for the distance from our planet, and because the Village will be composed of various isolated human settlements.

We hope that the information hereafter, prepared by the Moon Village Association (MVA), will help to live these days with a positive attitude and prepare you for living on the Moon…

Below you will find:

• a Decalogue, written by an astronaut, to live the period of isolation healthy;
• a Survey which we invite you to answer. There are questions that will indicate your level of interest for space, for the Moon exploration as well as highlighting the possible similarity of your behavior, during this period of isolation, with the astronauts. This is conducted in order to get you ready for the Moon Village!

This initiative is worldwide as we have about 3 billion people in isolation all over the world.

ASTRONAUT DECALOGUE

Provided by cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu.
He flew in space for 7 days 20 hours 42 minutes during the 1981 Soyuz 40 mission, including a stay on board the Soviet space station Salyut 6.

“What to do in isolation and how you can deal with it better”

1. You must understand the need for isolation in current conditions and the risks that you and others face if you do not remain isolated.
2. You must bring the conditions of isolation as close as possible to those of your life and your usual activity, and find useful activities that you can do at home, which will keep you busy to carry them out.
3. Set goals and deadlines for achievement. You can start with a general house cleaning and small repairs that you haven’t had time to do to date.
4. You can write, keep a diary of what is happening now and how you see things. In the future it could be a true document of a difficult historical period and have real value at least for your family and group of friends.
5. The current means of communication and the various online applications allow us to stay in touch with close friends and those around the world. You will have the opportunity to connect and hear the voice, and perhaps see the image, of old friends with whom you have not had the opportunity to connect for a long time. Although our social and cultural traditions make us feel the need for physical contact with our loved ones, we must understand that in the present period only online systems can keep us close.
6. Keep your mind busy many hours a day. Make plans for the future and plan ways to accomplish them when the pandemic is over, so that when all this isolation period ends, you will go straight to action. You will realize how precious your time is now.
7. Continue your professional activity as much as possible using online means. Organize group meetings and professional discussions using the various applications available for this purpose, take together with those with whom you collaborate the decisions relating to what can be achieved online.
8. Don’t forget the time to relax. You have time to watch various interesting programs online or on television, watch artistic films or documentaries that you haven’t had time to watch so far.
9. If you spend your isolation in two, you can play various relaxing games. For example, my wife and I played backgammon and the losers had to wash the dishes that day.
10. Try to stay positive and be optimistic. This helps a lot not to fall into depression.

Survey

PLEASE FILL IN THE SURVEY BY MAY 31, 2020.

The results of this survey will be published, in June/July 2020 on the Moon Village Association website: www.moonvillageassociation.org. Follow the social media of the MVA for updates.
This survey has been created in cooperation with Gabriele Impresario and Vittorio Cotronei.

Submission period has ended.