Crew Factors 



Crezv Selection 



Criteria for selecting crew members for long-duration, self-sufficient space 

 missions need to be addressed. 



One of the most important issues in planning long-duration missions involves 

 developing criteria for selecting space crews. The criteria need to make possible 

 the identification of personnel who will perform well in a group setting over a 

 long period of time. Final validation of the criteria will come from assessment of 

 the outcome. Researchers must continue to study groups in isolation to assess and 

 develop predictors of performance as well as work efficiency. It will be necessary 

 to study ground-based groups in isolated, confined, and potentially high risk 

 environments and in other conditions simulating as accurately as possible future 

 missions. 



Part of the selection process involves screening crew members for specific 

 positions, particularly those of commander and second-in-command. Choosing 

 commanders for long-duration space flight requires reevaluation of current 

 selection procedures (7,8). Coming up through the ranks is no longer the only 

 appropriate strategy. Mission leaders will have to be chosen on their ability to 

 create and manage the conditions for optimal crew performance during extended 

 space missions, involving prolonged periods of confinement and isolation (7,8). 

 Research should be conducted to define the qualities requisite for positions of 

 crew leadership. 



Important training issues and related concerns are also outstanding. Among the 

 questions are the following: What kinds of training should individual crew 

 members have in small group behavior? Should NASA provide a psychological 

 support team to help monitor and maintain the well-being of the crew, as do the 

 Soviets? How can we ensure that crews are compatible through selection and 

 training processes? In addition, how can the environment be engineered to sustain 

 cooperative behavior? Specifically, how can crew tasks, schedules, and programs 

 be designed to maintain cooperation among the crew? Another issue, among still 

 others requiring research and resolution, concerns the contingency plans needed if 

 communications among members of the group break down and the mission 

 becomes jeopardized. 



Command and Control Structure 



An effective command and control structure for ensuring success in long- 

 duration missions needs to be identified. 



The major issue in this area involves the authority structure in the spacecraft 

 during the mission (13). An initial concern is the commander of the space crew. 

 As suggested above, the attributes and skills that would qualify individuals as 

 effective leaders for extended missions are unlikely to be the same as current 

 commander attributes. In addition, the appropriate guidelines for exercising 

 authority during interpersonal conflicts among the crew that threaten the mission's 

 success need to be defined. A related issue involves the following question: Will a 



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