NASA Scientists Help Trapped Chile Miners

HOUSTON - A team of NASA psychologists is now in Chile helping the trapped miners deal with their feelings of isolation and confinement.

Few people know what it's like to be isolated in a severely small space.

You're unable to simply get up and walk away, unable to see or touch the people you love.

Dr. Leroy Chiao was a NASA astronaut for 15 years. He spent six months aboard the International Space Station with only one other person.

Chiao was counseled by three of the doctors now helping out in Chile.

"Understand your situation. Figure out how you can get through it. Prepare yourself mentally and also it's important to continuously improve your environment. Don't let despair take over. Don't let depression take over" says Chiao.

Depression medication is being lowered to the miners and now a group of NASA doctors is there to help.

"There are four team members. Two physicians, one psychologist and an engineer," says NASA spokesperson Bill Jeffs.

The team is offering nutritional and psychological assistance.

Although the miners are in darkness and in a much more desperate situation than astronauts, confinement is said to lead to similar human responses.

"Issues with anxiety, depression. Crew members suffer from a couple of major deprivations. Social deprivations," says Jeffs.

Also, Jeffs says sitting around unproductive can lead to feelings of helplessness.

"That was an issue we had with crew members that lived aboard the Russian Mir Space Station," says Jeffs.

Dr. Chiao says when you're locked away from everyone and everything you can start to miss the little things.

"W had the most beautiful view of the Earth ever but we were 300 miles up and in a very sterile environment. You couldn't hear birds chirping and squirrels running and couldn't smell the grass. So that's what I missed."

Chiao says another survival skill he learned is to look forward to those things rather than miss or long for them.

He believes the miners should be told it could take four months before they're rescued.

Otherwise, he says they get their hopes up and then are let down everyday.