32 K.E. Keeton et al. The Rocket Science of Teams KATHRYN E. KEETON AND LACEY L. SCHMIDT EASI at NASA Johnson Space Center KELLEY J. SLACK LZ Technology at NASA Johnson Space Center ARI A. MALKA University of Houston Performing technologically advanced work in an environment hostile to human exis- tence on a limited budget necessitates good teamwork, a phenomenon that spaceflight agencies (and countless other organiza- tions) around the world recognize. We suggest that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) serves as an exemplar of an organization that has rec- ognized and attempted to respond to many of the challenges articulated by Tannen- baum, Mathieu, Salas, and Cohen (2012). In addition, we suggest that spaceflight operations of the future can serve as an information resource and operational lab- oratory for future research on teams and teamwork. Historically, NASA has been compris- ing teams that needed to work together in high criticality situations, which often involved the coordination and cooperation Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kathryn E. Keeton. E-mail: kathryn.keeton@nasa.gov Address: BHP Program Element, NASA Johnson Space Center, 1290 Hercules, Houston, TX 77058 of many teams at multiple time points and across great distances. Indeed, this extensive spaceflight history has produced a substantial number of best practices in terms of teamwork, especially when considering the themes of dynamic com- position, technology, and distance (cf., www.ntrs.nasa.gov). Our following com- ments outline some historical and current practices within spaceflight operations that exemplify issues related to dynamic com- position and technology and distance, in hopes that other industrial–organizational (I–O) practitioners may derive some qual- itative value from seeing how some of the challenges and changes mentioned by Tannenbaum et al. are addressed in one real ‘‘out of this world’’ context. We also dis- cuss new research and research questions that are emerging for NASA and space- flight operations in general that augment Tannenbaum et al.’s suggested directions. Perhaps these questions might be use- ful to other I–O psychologists outside of NASA, as our field helps shape the future of teamwork practices and research on Earth.