GabyResearchers modeled future Mars colonizers based on data from Arctic researchers and submarine crews. According to them, “neurotic” individuals have the worst chances of survival when colonizing the Red Planet.
Those who struggle with anxiety, become overly competitive, or simply feel overwhelmed by pressure should also stay on Earth and not dream of conquering space. According to researchers, the best chances of becoming colonizers of Mars belong to the most easygoing and “pleasant” types of people.
Computer modeling of life in a colony on Mars
A new study conducted computer modeling that tracked the progress of human settlements on the Red Planet over the first 28 years of virtual operation. Researchers considered potential future colonizers for all four personality types. They found that agreeable personality types were rated as the most resilient over the long term, while neurotics demonstrated the least ability to adapt.
Researchers have also found that the minimum number of settlers needed for a successful human colony on Mars is much lower than expected: only 22 people. According to them, a sustainable settlement can be established by dozens, rather than hundreds, of settlers, representing all types of personalities.
As noted by the publication Daily Mail The authors of the study input data from various related scenarios to better inform their computer model. They considered economic and agricultural data, an overview of resource-saving and production capabilities of the ISS, and data collected from Antarctic research stations, submarine crews, and so on.
Researchers have stated that establishing a human settlement on Mars is an incredibly complex engineering challenge. However, in addition to technical and engineering difficulties, future colonizers will also face psychological and human factors.
That is why researchers are trying to better understand the behavioral and psychological interactions of future Martian settlers through modeling. The latter has been combined with game theory and “evolutionary programming,” which is used to study biological systems.
What should Mars colonizers be like?
The model identified the “friendly” type as an individual with the lowest level of competitiveness, low aggression, and not fixated on a strict daily routine. The “social” type was defined as an individual with a medium level of competitiveness, an extrovert who needs social interaction but is not obsessed with strict schedules.
The “reactive” type consisted of individuals who had moderate competitiveness and a focus on adhering to their strict routines. The fourth group of the model – the “neurotics” – had a high level of competitiveness, very aggressive interpersonal characteristics, and a weak ability to adapt to boredom or changes in routine. All of this made them the least adaptable to unexpected challenges when it was necessary to maintain the colony. Mars .
Researchers made a number of generous assumptions about their model, including regular supplies from Earth and a nuclear generator capable of reliably providing the settlement with electricity for at least 7 years. Their colonies on Mars were also tasked with extracting precious minerals for delivery back to Earth.
As researchers note, the main focus was on the personality types of the selected colonists. They also studied how the settlers work during their time on Mars, using their skills for resource extraction and responding to random shuttle supply accidents or habitat disasters.
Traits that will help colonizers survive on Mars
- Adaptability to change: having a lesser obsession with adhering to any strict daily routine has helped to better cope with surprises and be ready for adaptation and survival.
- Low aggressiveness: neurotics were the worst due to very aggressive interpersonal traits, which often proved fatal when the simulation faced a crisis.
- Low competitiveness: the “agreeable” category was more cooperative than the “neurotic” and “reactive” categories, which contributed to the survival of the colony.
Life in the extreme conditions of Mars
Researchers ran their model 5 times over 28 simulated years each. By varying the colony’s population size from 10 to 170 settlers between sessions, they found that the base could operate for decades with just 22 inhabitants.
During most simulations, researchers found that their settlements could typically recover as long as the total colony population remained at 10 colonists or more between tragedies and failures. This did not hold true in cases where the colony could not recover on its own between supply missions from Earth, which were modeled to occur every 1.5 years.
As researchers note, the inhospitable nature of the Martian environment requires that any habitat be largely self-sufficient. The stress caused by accidents, as well as interactions with other colonists, has a negative impact.
The conducted modeling shows that success in extreme conditions can generally be explained by the ability to cope. That is, by how people go with the flow during difficulties, adapt to unexpected changes, and improvise in unfavorable conditions or disasters.
In future modeling, researchers plan to experiment with the ratio of personality types among colonists at each Martian base. They hope to determine whether a team of entirely easygoing colonizers can outperform mixed groups composed of all types from past trials.
