Cross-cultural research at UCF could pave way for mission to Mars

ORLANDO, Fla. — The first mission to Mars has become more of a likelihood within the next decade.

That reduces the timeframe for NASA to assemble the right team for a journey that’s longer and goes deeper into space than ever before.

Research at the University of Central Florida could play a part in training that historic crew.

READ: NASA missions face delays and rising costs over COVID-19 impact

When Hungarian track athlete Krisztina Szabo was recruited to compete at South Alabama, she ran into a world of cultural differences.

“There was definitely a cultural clash just in general conversations,” she said.

The experience drew the industrial-organizational psychology students now working on her Ph.D at UCF to study those differences on a much higher level, exploring their impacts on space exploration.

READ: SpaceX launches test rocket, breaks apart before landing

Along with advisor Dr. Shawn Burke and a grant from NASA, their findings could guide the training of astronauts for the longest space flight yet -- to Mars.

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Cox Media Group