Is "the right stuff" the right stuff?

Abstract

In 1979 the author Tom Wolfe likened US astronauts to sacrificial gladiators characterized by competitiveness, independence, self-sufficiency, extroversion and a sense of moral righteousness and superiority--in short, 'the right stuff'. But are these the qualities needed for long-duration international missions? The author's hunch is that they are on the whole still necessary but not sufficient, but he emphasizes that systematic study of past behavioural reactions and analogous environments is needed if vital questions of interpersonal dynamics are to be answered correctly.