NASA is studying whether a Mars crew would need a class clown

Clown of the class

An anthropologist at the University of Florida says long space missions, such as a crewed trip to Mars, would require crew members with a strong sense of humor to build social bridges and defuse tensions at a distance. perilous distance from the Earth.

"These are people who have the ability to bring everyone together, fill in gaps when tensions arise and really lift morale," said Jeffrey Johnson, who is working with NASA to study the importance of Humor during long space flights, during an interview with the guardian. "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."

Far from home

Before turning to astronauts, Johnson spent years studying another isolated group: long-time workers in Antarctica, where he discovered that self-proclaimed clowns and jokers were needed to form bonds under stressful conditions. .

"These roles are informal, they emerge within the group," said Johnson at the guardian. "But the interesting thing is that if you have the right combination, the group is doing very well. And if you do not do it, the band goes very badly. "

Critical mission

On a mission to Mars, communication delays can be as much as 20 minutes – and the eight-month trip takes astronauts away from health care and other resources on Earth.

"It's essential that you have someone who can help everyone to hear, so that they can do their job and get back and forth safely," Johnson said at the conference. guardian. "It's a critical mission."