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I came across this document mentioning the high stress that the Lunokhod operators experienced when teleoperating the rovers back in the 1970s. There is a mention that driving Lunakhod 2 was particularly brutal since they maintained a high traverse rate (they drove over 11km in one Lunar day). At times, the heart rate of some operators reached ~130 beats per minute.

Does anyone know where I can find more official information about the stress the Lunokhod operators were subject to? The link above does not appear to cite anything on that end, and other questions on this forum do not discuss this specifically. Thanks!

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    $\begingroup$ related: What was it actually like driving the Lunokhod lunar rovers live from the ground? What were some of the biggest challenges? "Did drivers just put in a leisurely 4 hour driving session then head to the (Crimean) beach to relax, or was it day after day of grueling, stressful hard work?" and also How (the heck) did Lunokhod 2 drive, navigate and survive a ~40 kilometer drive over four months on the Moon using 1970's technology? $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Oct 30, 2021 at 23:34
  • $\begingroup$ Could you define what you mean by more official information. Are you asking for documentation by Soviet authorities, space or medical personnel? If you are, this may be difficult or impossible to obtain or possibly non existent. The Soviet system did not encourage disclosure or admission of anything that might give the impression the Soviet system was inferior or weak. Acknowledgement of high stress levels in Lunokhod operator would have fallen into this category. The attitude at the time was do what needs to be done for success, the Soviet system must be seen to prevail. $\endgroup$
    – Fred
    Commented Nov 1, 2021 at 21:45
  • $\begingroup$ Oh I mean I would love to know where the author got this information from. Is it from another book documenting the Lunokhod missions? Did he interview a Lunokhod driver? There is no mention of any source in the document, though it is saved on NASA's servers (therefore, it is likely a reliable source). I also just reached out to the author to ask him, I'll share here what he replies (if he ever does). $\endgroup$
    – olamarre
    Commented Nov 2, 2021 at 11:28

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