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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
NASA looking for ‘jokers’ to be astronauts
    2019-02-25  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Astronauts have traditionally been serious, sensible types with the “right stuff” who can be trusted to fly equipment worth billions of pounds.

But any mission to Mars will need a “joker” or “class clown” figure to be successful, according to NASA research.

A sense of humor will be vital for any team to keep morale high on a two-year trip to Mars which could happen in the 2030s.

The joker role will be tested in NASA’s group mission simulations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Jeffrey Johnson, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida, Gainesville is advising NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog, a project which looks at how teams can cope with extreme periods of isolation.

Johnson said, “Groups work best when they have somebody who takes on the role of class clown.

“These are people that have the ability to pull everyone together, bridge gaps when tensions appear and really boost morale.

“We can all think of the person at work who fulfills this role, who makes us laugh and makes the job more enjoyable. People like being around them.

“When you’re living with others in a confined space for a long period of time, such as on a mission to Mars, tensions are likely to fray. It’s vital you have somebody who can help everyone get along, so they can do their jobs and get there and back safely. It’s mission critical.”

Johnson has studied isolated groups of people in extreme environments including Russian, Chinese, Indian and Polish explorers based in Antarctica.

He has also looked at historical examples. He said that the reason Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen succeeded where Captain Scott failed in reaching the South Pole was because the Norwegians had a jolly “clown” figure on their team.

Johnson said of Amundsen, “He had a cook named Adolf Lindstrom. People described him as being someone who laughed and was very jovial and very happy, an entertainer, keeping up people’s spirits.”

But he added, “Being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job. They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer and be able to pass a rigorous training regime.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【士气】shìqì morale the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time

【严格的】yángé de rigorous harsh and demanding

传统的宇航员是严肃、理智的,具备“应有的素质”,可以信赖他们驾驶价值数十亿英镑的设备飞行。

但是据美国国家航空航天局研究,去往火星的任务将需要一名“幽默搞笑的人”或“班级小丑”一样的人物才能获得成功。

去往火星需要耗时两年,幽默感对任何去往火星的团队保持士气高涨都至关重要。火星之旅可能在2030年左右出发。

负责幽默搞笑的人将在NASA德克萨斯州休斯敦约翰逊航天中心的团队任务模拟小组接受测试。

位于盖恩斯维尔的佛罗里达大学人类学教授杰弗里•约翰逊是NASA人类探索研究模拟项目的顾问,该项目考察团队如何应对极端的孤独时期。

约翰逊说:“当团队中有人扮演班级小丑的角色时,团队的工作表现最好。”

“这些人有能力团结大家,当紧张关系出现时能弥合分歧,并真正鼓舞士气。”

“我们都能想起担任了这个角色的成员,他让我们开怀大笑,让工作更享受,人们喜欢和他们一起工作。”

“当你和其他人长时间生活在一个密闭空间里时,关系可能会更紧张,比如在执行火星任务的途中。有个成员能帮助大家和睦相处,这很重要,这样整个团队就能顺利完成任务,抵达火星,并安全返回。这是一项关键任务。”

约翰逊教授曾研究过在极端环境下几乎与世隔绝的团队成员,包括俄罗斯、中国、印度和波兰驻南极洲的探险家。

他还查阅了历史。约翰逊教授说,挪威探险家罗尔德•阿蒙森之所以成功到达了南极,就是因为一位成员幽默搞笑,是团队中的“小丑”。而在此之前,斯科特船长的南极探险就失败了。

约翰逊教授谈到阿蒙森时说:“他有一名叫阿道夫•林德斯特伦的厨师。人们说阿道夫风趣幽默,非常快活,是团队的开心果,让大家精神饱满。”但他也补充说:“轻松搞笑并不足以让一个人胜任这个工作。他们还需要是出色的科学家和工程师,能够通过严格的训练项目。”

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

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