The right mix of astronaut personalities could make or break future missions to Mars.

A new study from researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey used advanced computer simulations to test how mixtures of different dominant personality traits within crews affect stress, health and teamwork during long-term space missions. The results, published Oct. 8 in the journal PLOS One, indicate that crews with a wider range of personalities perform better under pressure, possibly informing how NASA selects and trains its astronauts for Mars.

According to the study, "team diversity in personality traits may contribute to greater resilience under extended isolation and operational load." To simulate a crew on a 500-day Mars mission using only computers, authors Iser Pena and Ha

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