Aphrodite, Space Settlement Concept Research

PSYCHOLOGY Besides the physical form and mental capabilities of the inhabitants, psychological aspects should be taken into consideration when choosing suitable passengers for the settlement, in order to diminish unpleasant situations as much as possible.

Mental health To make that possible, each candidate should be evaluated by a psychologist. Illnesses such as depression, anxiety, OCD and bipolar disorder should be excluded from any candidate’s mental health results, as life on a settlement can get lonely at times and therefore accentuate health issues.

The passengers should have as little as possible to hold onto on earth. Moreover, the key qualities of a settler are high emotional stability and reasonable openness to experience compatibility The chosen passengers should be compatible with each other as much as possible, meaning that there should be a balance between leader, artistic minds, intuitivists, observants etc. In order for that to happen, we have chosen to conduct the sixteen personalities test and we suggest that at least half of them should be present on the settlement.

Therefore, all potential passengers should take the test and be directed to the job category that suits them best. Thus, analysts should make up most of the population, as they are rational, impartial and have great intellectual experience.

For example, the ENTJ (commander) personality is a great leader and has no problem in finding solutions for the toughest requests. The mediator (INFP) personality tends to be misunderstood and feels out of place unless they are doing what they love. Consequently, they are very trustworthy, and they will put their job on the settlement above all.

General requirements No matter their job on the ship, all inhabitants should show that they have certain qualities. Team spirit is a key requirement for the settlers, as well as altruism, a constant thirst for knowledge and for them to be self-driven and proactive.

The Biosphere 2 experiments The biosphere 2 experiments took place in Arizona (1991-1993 and 1994) and their purpose was to determine if a spaceship with earth’s biosphere was suitable for people to live on. From a psychological point of view, it has brought us an insight into what could happen if people were isolated for two years on a spaceship. Although the project itself failed, some important aspects were discovered during the experiment. The 8 biospherians were prone to unconsciously sabotage each other as the group dynamics were the hardest part to deal with, according to Nelson, one of the crew members. Even though Some of the crewmates were not on the best terms, this did not stop them from achieving goals and working together. Moreover, some of the biospherians felt like they had depression, but it was concluded after several tests that isolated groups tend to exaggerate psychological issues and they in fact were very healthy mentally. With all that in mind, we have concluded that the settlers should fit the explorer/adventurer profile and have the same capabilities as an astronaut giving the fact that these traits have seemed to work well in the biosphere 2 project.

Something of great importance that we have learned on our journey of understanding the how’s and why’s of bisphere 2 is that moral values such as empathy and honesty are the foundation of a balanced and successful team whether it’s on a settlement or a school project.

Personality evaluation We have concluded that we do not need the settlers to have identical personalities because there have been cases where opposites get along better. Therefore, we will focus on their personalities individually. To test their personalities, we have chosen the Five Factor Model (FFM), which is quite robust and for which there are enough standardized and adapted psychometric tools in different cultures that can be used for personality assessment.