Finding the team for Mars: a psychological and human factors analysis of a Mars Desert Research Station crew
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Updated: May 25, 2026

Mimicking a Space Mission to Mars Using Hindlimb Unloading and Partial Weight Bearing in Rats
Published on: April 4, 2019
Benjamin D Sawyer1, P A Hancock, John Deaton
1MIT2 Lab, Psychology Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA. sawyer@knights.ucf.edu
Abstract:
A two-week mission in March and April of 2011 sent six team members to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). MDRS, a research facility in the high Utah desert, provides an analogue for the harsh and unusual working conditions that will be faced by men and women who one day explore Mars. During the mission a selection of quantitative and qualitative psychological tests were administered to the international, multidisciplinary team. A selection of the results are presented along with discussion.
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