Carmel Johnston is an environmental scientist. She just spent a year in a dome in another Mars test done by NASA. So what is Mars-simulation-life like? According to Ms. Johnston, sometimes it stinks. Her scientist team had to remove compost from the toilet. They also had almost no privacy in the small dome. Team members got into arguments. “As every family knows, you don’t always get along all the time,” Ms. Johnston tells News.com.au.

Future deep-space astronauts may have a world of discovery to look forward to. But they will also probably have to stay in a tiny space for a long time with the same people. Imagine this: Someone on your astronaut team gets on your nerves one evening. He or she will still be there for you to deal with the next morning . . . and the next and the next until the mission ends. In a situation like that, character counts.

What kinds of people would you want on your team of Mars astronauts? Better yet, what kind of person would you want to be if you had to fly to Mars? Just trying to be nice probably wouldn’t be enough for a character test like that. It would be best to have the fruits of the Spirit. Those character traits come from the Holy Spirit living inside a person. (Galatians 5:22-23) This would be a good checklist of qualities to use while looking for a teammate:

Joyful

Peaceful

Patient

Kind

Good

Faithful

Gentle

Self-controlled

A trip to Mars with that kind of person would be way easier!