Who Will Go

 Each of the three (or 4) phases of colonization noted above will require a different sort of person with widely differing qualifications for each phase. The least eligible or desirable person in the initial stages would be the “space tourists” with enough money to buy a ticket to ride. 

Although this type of person may pay a huge sum to travel, thereby providing financial support to the mission, they become a great drain on precarious life support resources for the duration. 

Phase one (exploration) requirements would encompass many disciplines in fields from environmental management and energy and food generation to engineering and research. There would also be a need for cartographers, geologists and surveyors and those involved in medical studies of low gravity affects on the human condition.

Phase two (Structural development) requirements would require more agriculturalists and construction and resource extraction based positions. 

Phase three (Resource development) would be a continuation of phase two with a leaning towards construction and the beginning of mineral refining and manufacturing.

Phase four (immigration) is where less qualified people would begin arriving. These are the people that Elon Musk believes will want to go and have the money to go. The SpaceX starship is currently being designed to carry 100 people . 

Societal diversification would evolve over the noted phases of colonial development as each successive starship would bring people of more diverse fields of expertise. Considering the necessity to carry the right people from the very beginning we would need to determine how many people for each function or field of expertise would be accommodated per flight. 

We would expect that these highly educated and motivated people would cooperate for the benefit of the community but unfortunately human nature can be quite divisive. We have roamed free within our environment for millennia and confinement seems not to favor human nature. 

Experiments in the 1990s provided a humbling illustration of how space missions could go awry. 

“Inside a prototype Mars colony dubbed Biosphere 2 in Arizona, bugs multiplied, crops failed and crew members split into factions. After the disaster that was the first two-year mission, a second attempt in 1994 lasted just six months before dissolving into “vandalism, foul language, lawsuits, finger-pointing, and shaming. ”

These are but two examples of how in an extreme environment the human equation is the most important factor, even beyond education and experience. For this reason, people interested in signing up for a trip into space would also need to have specific character traits compatible with prolonged confinement.

The results of a study of personality traits, personal values, and the emergence of conflicts within groups performing in an isolated, confined, and extreme environment (ICE) was published June 1, 2017. The study provided insights helpful for the composition and support of space crews for long duration missions. In this study, 10 Danish military personnel deployed to stations in Greenland on a 26-mo staggered rotation were the subjects. 

Subjects completed the NEO PI-R,  Triarchic Psychopathy Measure , and Portrait Values Questionnaire , and participated in structured interviews. During deployment, questionnaires were completed biweekly and a cognitive function test once a month. 

Personality findings indicated a generally well-adjusted group, above average in positive personality traits (Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and boldness). Personal values of benevolence and self-direction were highly rated. The decision when to "pick sides" and intervene during disagreements between group members was viewed as an important component of conflict resolution. 

The study also found that there were no changes in positive/negative affect or cognitive function over the annual light/dark cycle. (This is an important factor in space or on a different planet with a change in its cyclical day).

The personal values of group members appeared to be highly compatible for living in a small group ICE environment for an extended period. Disagreements between group members impacted the functioning of the entire group, particularly in regard to decisions whether to support one of the individuals or let the argument run its course. 

The study recommended that extended training in strategies for conflict resolution is needed in planning for future long duration missions to avoid fault lines forming within the group. 

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