Selection criteria

Academic and Professional​ requirements:

- Higher degree in engineering, aviation or sciences.

- At least three years of work experience.

- Good level of English and Russian

- Computer knowledge

- Skills to learn all about spacecraft and how they operate.

Health and Physical​ requirements:

-Age 35 years and above

- Between 150 to 190 cm tall

- Weight between 50 and 90 kilos

- Shoe EU size 46.5 or smaller

- The candidate has to score under the acceptable range of the following
physical tests: strength, stamina, cardio, agility, strength exercises,
satisfactory results under stressful situations.

- The ability to train and operate with the weight machines available on the
space shift.

- Satisfactory medical history ( there are some specific forms indicated in
their requirements document)

What are the psychological requirements that are beneficial for the survival of the crew?

The psychological selection process will consist of two parts. The first round involves an initial set of assessments that test the basic aptitudes and personality factors of our candidates. For that, we are planning to use the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) as our primary tools. The latter is specially designed to explore candidates’ Numerical, Abstract, Spatial, Mechanical and Verbal reasoning along with Fault Diagnosis and Data checking. On the other hand, BFI is designed to evaluate candidates’ scores on five main personality dimensions such as Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and level of Extraversion (John & Srivastava, 1999).

The second part of psychological selection includes behaviour-oriented assessment, role-playing, interviewsand computer-basedsimulations. During this stage, we are planning to use simulation habitats such as HERA, which is designed to resemble as much as possible the harsh environment of space (​About HERA, 2020​). Candidates are going to participate in different simulated contexts such as isolation, confinement and remote conditions of mission exploration. As a second tool we are planning to use the Stress Management and Resilience Training for Optimal Performance (SMART-OP). This program offers a variety of self-guided modules such as video demonstrations of conflict-resolution strategies and a biofeedback game that helps the user practice regulating his or her breathing and heart rate. We are planning to use candidates’ results as one of our main selection criteria. Thus, depending on candidates’ successful responses to these simulation programs, we will make the decision of whether or not they are suitable enough for our Mars mission.