NASA is looking for "jokers" to become astronauts

Astronauts are traditionally serious and reasonable types with "adequate equipment" that can be trusted to fly equipment worth billions of pounds.

But to carry out a mission on Mars, NASA's research will require a "joker" or "class clown" character.

The sense of humor will be essential for any team to maintain high morale during a two year trip to Mars, which could occur in the 2030s.

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The wildcard role will be tested in NASA's group mission simulations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Jeffrey Johnson, professor of anthropology at the University of Florida at Gainesville, advises NASA's human exploration research analyzer, which examines how teams can cope with periods of time. Isolation.

He spoke at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on the theme "Building a winning team for missions on Mars".

Professor Johnson said, "Groups work better when they have someone who assumes the role of class clown.

"These are people who have the ability to bring everyone together, fill gaps when tensions arise, and really lift morale.

"We can all think of the person at work who fulfills that role, who makes us laugh and makes work more enjoyable. People like to be around them.

"When you live with other people in a confined space for a long time, for example during a mission on Mars, the tensions may break down."

"It's essential that you have someone who can help everyone to hear, so that he can do his job and come and go safely." This is the critical mission.

But he added, "Being funny will not be enough to land the job at someone. They must also be excellent scientists and engineers and be able to successfully complete a rigorous training regime. & # 39; Professor Johnson has studied isolated groups of people living in extreme environments, including Russian, Indian Chinese and Indian explorers based in Antarctica.

He also examined historical examples. Professor Johnson said that if the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had succeeded where Captain Scott had not managed to reach the South Pole, it was because the Norwegians had a cheerful figure of " clown "in their team.

Professor Johnson said about Amundsen: "He had a cook named Adolf Lindstrom. People described him as someone who was laughing and was very jovial and very happy, an artist who keeps people's spirits up.

"In Amundsen's diary, he stated that he had rendered more services to the Norwegian polar expedition than any other man. He was the clown of this expedition. Scott's expedition was radically different. They separated into cliques; they did not have a cohesive group. "Astronauts traveling to Mars need a Lindstrom," he said.

But clowns must be positive, said Professor Johnson.

"There are people who love, who are laughable, who are jovial and endearing, and who therefore bring people together. But others who are cruel. When I was working at the South Pole Station, there was a lot of cruel behavior. There is a difference between pressing a button and being funny. It's better to become a mascot – get caught in the group and love.

"It's pretty universal – it does not matter whether you're Russian, Polish, Chinese or Indian. Group dynamics occur in a very similar way in all human groups. & # 39;