Harvey Wichman, professor emeritus of psychology, will discuss the physiology and psychology of human space flight during an appearance on radio station KRLA-870 at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. He will also discuss his views on the future of space flight in light of the Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Wichman retired from CMC in 2000 following 26 years in the classroom, returning last year to teach the practicum Aerospace Human Factors. In this course, a dozen students worked on a space simulator project that eventually took them to Houston and a contract with NASA for the students' research. He is a pioneer in the field of environmental psychology, and his work relating to space flight has attracted the attention of NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
At the request of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Wichman also co-organized an international conference examining the psychological and sociocultural consequences of potential meteor strikes. He is currently editing a book based on compilations from the conference, and has assisted the Air Force in designing a 10-year research project to mitigate the effect of large meteors. He is the author of numerous articles and publications, as well as the book Human Factors in the Design of Spacecraft.