07. Are crewmembers selected to be a compatible group? Or, are crewmembers picked because of their specific education, abilities and skills? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

The answer is yes on both counts. There is careful consideration given to selecting crewmembers but no psychological testing is done for this specific purpose. For Shuttle flights, the mission specialists who will do the scientific and technical work and the spacewalks are usually selected well before the commander and pilot. The time spent training together is when personality problems or ego clashes are identified, but this rarely happens. There is a team-building aspect of training together that builds mutual respect. As the commander and pilot are added to the crew the team-building or bonding continues, and by the time they are ready to launch, an integrated professional team is eager to get on with it.

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Answer provided by Col. USAF (Ret.) William R. Pogue

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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