The document proposes a study to determine optimal crew composition for long duration spaceflights using the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). The study would involve sending multi-national crews to the MDRS for 6 month simulations. Variables like leadership changes and emergencies would be introduced to study crew dynamics. The goal is to gain insights into psychological impacts, crew-mission control interactions, and ideal traits for different roles. This could help design better selection processes and multi-national crew integration for future long duration space missions.

1. Crew Composition Study for Long Duration Spaceflight
Zach Bettis, Robert Consolo
Crew composition has been and always will be an extremely important aspect of
human spaceflight. In order to determine who we should select for each position in the
crew, we will need to evaluate the candidates in every possible way ranging from
physical to psychological evaluations. The selection will most likely be strict due to
nature of space travel. The simple fact of the matter is that not everyone can be an
astronaut.
The way that NASA does their selection is a very good example of how to
properly choose a crew. NASA first has a team called the Astronaut Selection Board
that reviews each candidate's information and decide together whether people are even
worth pursuing in the first place. Next the selected candidates would be sent to Johnson
Space Center where they would begin the heavy physical and psychological testing.
While standards do change according to the current mission of NASA that shows the
versatility of their program. During physical testing astronauts would be asked to do
things testing cardio (such as running, stamina testing) & strength. During psychological
testing candidates would have to answer a few general questions that would allow a
psychiatrist to determine different personality traits for the astronauts. Things that would
be assessed are mental toughness, critical thinking, leadership, and mental capacity in
stressful situations.
For long duration spaceflight, crew composition will be crucial to the success of
the mission. It will take the testing that is currently in place and multiply its difficulty in
comparison. Examples of those test would be long duration stays in closed spaces such
as a capsule and long term team testing. These will allow for increased understanding
of the mental capacity of each candidate preventing someone who would not be able to
handle the stresses of space from getting up there.
Determining optimal crew composition for long duration spaceflight will be
mission specific. However, future long duration spaceflight missions could be
multinational in nature. Therefore, it may not be possible for the launching agency,
NASA for example, to have complete autonomy over astronaut selection. A situation
could arise where another nation’s space agency wants to send a certain astronaut who
isn’t an ideal fit for the crew but due to contractual obligations, it is impossible to remove
them from the flight crew. How to best integrate a multinational crew that may not be the
most ideal, composition wise, will be an important step in long duration spaceflight.
To determine proper crew composition, we will conduct a study utilizing the Mars
Desert Research Station (MDRS). By using MDRS, money can be saved by using

2. existing hardware and facilities. Using the MDRS we will send multiple groups out,
some with variation such as race, personality, beliefs, and work ethic. These long
duration spaceflight missions will likely be multinational. In order to make these studies
even more analogous to the real thing, it would be ideal to have space agencies from
other countries select their own candidates. We will also use groups with greatest
similarity in those areas as well. Future space exploration missions, especially long-
duration ones, will most likely be multination. So, the ability to completely control team
composition may be difficult. Participants will be spending a minimum of 6 months at the
MDRS conducting basic experiments and housekeeping tasks simulating long term
spaceflight. Participants would not be allowed to leave the habitat as we are simulating
spaceflight and not a mars base but this location presents one of the best setups.
Positions would be given to each participant such as Commander, Pilot (2nd in
Command), Specialist, Scientist, etc. These positions will give the crew authority in their
respective areas Not only is it critical that the crew work together effectively but it’s also
important that they can work well with flight controllers and other support staff.
The concern that a flight crew could stage a mutiny against Mission Control is not
too crazy to consider. The crew of Skylab 4 did exactly that when they felt that their
schedule was too strenuous and that Mission Control did not give them enough time to
relax. Mission Control disagreed which ultimately led to the crew of Skylab 4 turning off
the communications radio so they could rest. Important lessons were learned from this
incident that have been and should continue to be implemented in all future space
missions. This is especially important for a long duration spaceflight mission. The
thought of a flight crew staging a mutiny against flight controllers and support staff while
on an interplanetary mission to Mars or beyond is a terrifying, and valid, concern.
Studying how the diverse crew interacts with the flight support staff at MDRS will
hopefully give us insight into what to expect during the real thing. A crew of astronauts
from different cultural backgrounds on a mission to Mars is going to behave differently
with flight controllers than a crew of NASA and Russian astronauts/cosmonauts on the
ISS communicating with Mission Control.
Another important aspect that this study could shed some light on is the
psychological state of the crew. Finding a way to simulate the psychological impact of
long duration spaceflight is difficult but perhaps the isolation that the crew would
experience at MDRS could give us some interesting insight. Weekly assessments of the
crew’s psychological state could show mission designers the best way to keep the crew
in a good state of mind throughout the duration of the mission.
Variables would be thrown into the study at random points throughout the 6-
month timeline. An example of those variables would be the changing of the
Commander to look into how change in leadership affects the crew and its productivity.

3. During long duration spaceflight it is possible that a change in leadership may be
necessary and so our study will allow us to understand what happens before a real
situation occurs. Another variable that can be thrown in is having an inflight emergency.
Stressful situations are where most leaders show their true colors and we believe
having an emergency, whether it be a depressurization or an injury, we will be able to
see the team dynamic. Another interesting variable to throw into the mix would be
changing the Flight Director at Mission Control who would most likely be the primary
point of contact with the crew. Studying how the crew would react to a sudden change
like that could lead to some interesting discoveries on how a flight crew can adapt to a
new voice from Mission Control.
The main objective of this study is to gain information on the ideal crew
composition for a long duration spaceflight mission. Using the MDRS we think we will
have a very good chance in recreating the environment necessary for long duration
spaceflight. In the study we hope to gain a better idea of proper team composition for a
long duration spaceflight mission. Another goal is to gain information on the best way to
have the crew interact with the flight controllers at Mission Control. Another goal is to
find out how the crew’s psychological state changes during the study so that mission
designers know the best way to keep the crew happy and productive during a long
duration mission. Furthermore, the study could show what kind of psychological criteria
the astronauts should ideally fit. This study will streamline the selection process by
creating a more stringent criterion that would focus on the exact needs of each position.
This way more time can be spent on mission training rather than on the selection
process.
This study will not give us all the answers necessary to ensure that a long
duration spaceflight mission will be successful. However, learning about the best way to
crew the mission would go a long way towards a successful mission. By performing this
study and others like it, invaluable lessons can be learned about crew composition. The
Mars Desert Research Station offers a great opportunity to use existing facilities and
hardware to study how a crew of astronauts can work together in an enclosed location
for an extended period of time, much like they would on a spacecraft.