There's a chance an astronaut might go bonkers on deep space voyages like those to Mars that NASA plans to reach two decades from now. And what about far future voyages outside our solar system?

That possibility was one of the key moments in the movie, Interstellar, when the character played by Matt Damon, the insane Dr. Mann, tried to murder the expedition led by Matthew McConaughey that found him on an icy planet.

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It seems interstellar travel will drive you nuts if you aren't mentally or psychologically tough enough.

That toughness appears to weigh heavy on NASA's mind so much so the space agency has awarded $900,000 to a pair of professors from the University of Central Florida to study cognitive issues such as memory and attention in astronauts on deep space voyages.

The goal of this study and other studies is to better prepare astronauts manage the mental and physical demands of space travel. Other studies examine deep space travel's as yet unknown effects on the human body.

Cognitive processes or cognition are the many processes working together in the formation of thought. A few of the specific processes involved in cognition are memory, language and attention.

There are also studies on bone and muscle loss; human performance and cardiovascular health, among other concerns. NASA said some of the studies will be conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA chose 27 projects from 18 institutions around U.S. to take part in these investigations. It has a $12 million funding pool for these projects. The investigations, which will last three years, were selected because of NASA determination to send astronauts on deep space missions.

In the case of UCF professors Stephen Fiore and Shawn Burke, their project is vital because studies suggest cognitive processes might be negatively affected by long spaceflight. The idea is to mitigate the effects of long-duration space missions on the cognitive processes as much as possible.

"So we need to understand how problems with memory or attention will impact the spaceflight team's ability to function and successfully perform their mission," said Fiore.

Fiore, the lead investigator, is director of the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory. Burke is a research professor at the Institute for Simulation & Training specializing in team dynamics and behavior.

TagsNASA, Matt Damon, Dr. Mann, Matthew McConaughey, University of Central Florida, Stephen Fiore, Shawn Burke