As we set our sights on Mars, and other destinations beyond lower Earth orbit, we must enable extreme forms of teamwork across Spaceflight Multiteam Systems (MTSs) composed of teams that are separated by unprecedented degrees of space and time. In “Project FUSION: Facilitating Unified Systems of Interdependent Organizational Networks,” we embark on a transformative research program rooted in the past decade of theory and research on MTSs, but breaking new ground in how MTSs are conceptualized and studied. Our programmatic research illuminates the underlying forces that give rise to the psycho-social relational states (e.g., influence, trust, shared cognition) within and between teams that underpin mission success. These crucial relationships, and the drivers of their emergence, will be understood, monitored, and at times, circumvented using countermeasures in order to enable coordinated efforts across the Spaceflight MTSs involved in Long-duration Exploration Mission (LDEMs).

Asencio, R., Mesmer-Magnus, J. R., DeChurch, L. A., & Contractor, N. (2024). Boundary transitions in dynamic teamwork. Academy of Management Review.

DeChurch, L. A., Lungeanu, A., Contractor,  N. S. (2024). Think like a team: Shared mental models predict creativity and problem-solving in space analogs. Acta Astronautica, 214, 701-711.

Lungeanu, A., Mesmer-Magnus, J., Niler, A., DeChurch, L. A., & Contractor, N. S. (2023) Organizing for Mars: Task management in spaceflight multiteam systems. Human Factors, 65(6), 1199-1220.

DeChurch, L. A., Lungeanu, A., Liebman, J. C., Contractor,  N. S. (2023). A tale of three teams: Effect of long-term isolation in SIRIUS-21 on crew interpersonal networks. Acta Astronautica, 212, 617-623.

Lungeanu, A., DeChurch, L. A., & Contractor, N. S. (2022). Leading teams over time through space: Computational experiments on leadership network archetypes. The Leadership Quarterly 33(5), 101595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101595

Larson, L., Wojcik, H., Gokhman, I., DeChurch, L., Bell, S., & Contractor, N. (2019). Team performance in space crews: Houston, we have a teamwork problem. Acta Astronautica, 161, 108-114.

Mesmer-Magnus, J. R., Carter, D. R., Asencio, R., & DeChurch, L. A. (2016). Space exploration illuminates the next frontier for teams research. Group & Organization Management, 41(5), 595-628.

Doctoral Dissertations Supported:

Research supported by:

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA (2015-2026)