Team Self-Maintenance during Long-Duration Space Exploration: A Conceptual Framework.

Objective: We developed a conceptual framework of Team Self-Maintenance (TSM) within long-duration space exploration (LDSE), which we define as the process of monitoring, adjusting, and maintaining the psychological well-being of a team in the absence of external support.

Background: Specific to LDSE and isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments, periods of routine can have a debilitating effect on the crew's well-being and performance, and TSM is a critical process for avoiding these detrimental effects.

Method: Based on themes drawn from nine subject matter expert interviews combined with an extensive literature review on related concepts, we developed an integrative conceptual framework of the key inputs, processes, and outputs involved in TSM within LDSE contexts.