Crew resource management in long-duration spaceflight: Lessons on program development from aviation and healthcare

Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a training program initially developed in commercial aviation and is designed to improve flight safety through better teamwork, communication, situational awareness and decision-making. Some form of CRM has long been part of spaceflight training and operations, though it has not been formally studied to the same extent as it has been in the aviation industry. Though evidence of effectiveness is less than complete, other industries have begun to adopt such training in an attempt to improve safety, most notably health care. This interest in CRM has lead to a higher degree of scrutiny regarding design and effectiveness than has been the case in the past. A general model has evolved to help guide the development of such training programs, and details are provided in this paper. Copyright IAF/IAA. All rights reserved.