Astronaut crews living and working in space experience as a matter of course what many of us experienced unexpectedly during the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. Consider these similarities:
- They are physically isolated for a long period of time from family, friends, and the majority of their work colleagues.
- Their daily in-person interactions are limited to the few people they live with and their other interactions are intermediated through digital technology.
- Their home also serves as their workplace.
- They are surrounded by a dangerous environment that poses a threat to their physical health. (For them, the dangers include a lack of oxygen in outer space; for us, the danger has been the risk of contracting COVID-19.)