Missions to Mars are likely to last up to three years, with astronauts enduring prolonged confinement, limited living spaces, and – to put it mildly – high levels of mutual responsibility.

In such an environment, you might think a singular kind of person was needed – a Rambo, or a Sarah Connor, somebody diligent, determined, and mission-focused.

That’s not entirely wrong – but it’s not the whole story.

In fact, according to new research, putting together a whole team of people who think and act exactly the same way is a swift recipe for disaster.

Iser Pena and Hao Chen of the Stevens Univeristy of Technology in the US say in their new study that diverse personalities are the key to space-based success.

“The absence of personal space and privacy exacerbates stress levels, potentially affecting team cohesion and performance,” the authors said in a release.

“Understanding and optimising team dynamics under these extreme conditions is crucial, as effective collaboration, stress management, and psychological support systems are essential for the success of long-duration space missions.”

Using advanced methodology and psychological knowledge, the researchers modelled how five personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness – matched mission roles such as engineer, medic, or pilot.

Diverse teams performed generally better than teams composed of similar personality types, they found.

They showed lower stress levels, improved performance, cohesion, and health.

This suggested that a broader mix of coping styles and interpersonal dynamics might help teams maintain stability over time.

“For the first time, we’ve combined psychological insights with a computer simulation to model a 500-day mission to Mars,” the authors said.

“This new approach lets us explore how different astronaut personalities and team roles might affect a crew’s stress and performance, and it gives us a glimpse of the human challenges astronauts could face on these long journeys into deep space.”