The NASA Moon Survival test was developed by a University of Texas professor with the goal of assessing team-building skills and other tasks one might encounter when starting a new job. In this challenge, participants must imagine themselves as part of a spaceship crew preparing to journey to the moon. However, a crash landing occurs due to technical difficulties, leaving the team stranded more than a hundred miles away from their intended destination. Unfortunately, the crash causes the spaceship’s supplies to break, leaving the team to decide which items they must prioritize to make their way to the moon on foot. The options range from ordinary household objects to more unconventional items. The following are the 15 items that may or may not help the team reach their goal:
1. A box of matches
2. Food concentrate
3. 50 feet of nylon rope
4. Parachute silk
5. Portable heating unit
6. Two .45 caliber pistols
7. 1 case of dehydrated Pet milk
8. 2 hundred-pound tanks of oxygen
9. Stellar map (of the moon’s constellation)
10. Life raft
11. Magnetic compass
12. 5 gallons of water
13. Signal flares
14. First aid kit containing injection needles
15. Solar-powered FM receiver transmitter
Participants must rank these items on a scale of 1 to 15, with 1 being the most important and 15 being the least. Surprisingly, the correct rankings are as follows:
1. 2 hundred-pound tanks of oxygen
2. 5 gallons of water
3. Stellar map (of the moon’s constellation)
4. Food concentrate
5. Solar-powered FM receiver transmitter
6. 50 feet of nylon rope
7. First aid kit containing injection needles
8. Parachute silk
9. Life raft
10. Signal flares
11. Two .45 caliber pistols
12. 1 case of dehydrated Pet milk
13. Portable heating unit
14. Magnetic compass
15. A box of matches
The person behind this engaging exercise is Jay Hall, a social psychology lecturer who developed it in 1970. Hall conducted research on the challenges faced by groups in office environments, such as confusion, frustration, and time loss. The test aims to address these issues and promote group decision making and team effectiveness.
Now, let’s delve into the reasoning behind the rankings provided by NASA. Firstly, a box of matches is deemed virtually useless since there is no oxygen on the moon to sustain combustion. On the other hand, food concentrate ranks high because it efficiently supplies energy requirements. The nylon rope is moderately useful, with applications in scaling cliffs and binding injured individuals together.
Parachute silk provides protection from the sun’s rays, earning it a decent ranking. The portable heating unit, however, is not necessary unless on the “dark side,” and thus receives a low score. Similarly, the two .45 caliber pistols are viewed by NASA as potentially self-propelling objects and do not fare well in their rankings. They consider a single case of dehydrated pet milk redundant when food concentrate is available.
Unsurprisingly, oxygen is of paramount importance, ranking at the top. It is the most crucial survival necessity, and weight is not a significant factor as gravity on the moon is one-sixth that of Earth. The stellar map also ranks high as it serves as the primary means of navigation for the stranded team.
A life raft, while useful for propulsion with a CO2 bottle in military rafts, is not given a top-ranking. The moon’s magnetic field is not polarized, rendering a magnetic compass useless for navigation. Water is vital for replenishing significant liquid loss on the “light side” of the moon. Signal flares are less useful, primarily serving as distress signals when the mother ship is sighted.
The first aid kit, equipped with injection needles, ranks moderately since the needles can fit into special apertures in NASA space suits. Lastly, a solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter receives a humble ranking due to its limited range for communication with the mother ship.
How well did you fare? Would you survive on a NASA spaceship? Share your answers and thoughts in the comments below!
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