The U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration epitomizes teamwork. NASA epitomizes the effective structure and implementation of multi-team teams. They have to be experts, as controlling space craft is obviously incredibly complex and difficult. Today, the organization's challenges related to the international space station are substantially greater. This is due to the fact that NASA is one of five space agencies around the globe that jointly control the international space station. These agencies have rotated responsibilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, since 2000. The Space station itself was built and is maintained by the five space agencies, which represent 23 countries. Yet effective coordination and collaboration occur almost seamlessly, even as team members come and go adn responsibilities repeatedly cross international borders. As part of the space station's crew, NASA overcomes common challenges faced by many teams today. DYNAMIC COMPOSITION - The members of the various teams continually change. Astronauts from several countries routinely come and go, for example because their time on board the ISS is limited for their safety. Imagine the time and resources required to continually prepare new member to live on the space station. Technical, physical and culture training requirements are immense, not least because all team members must effectively execute their responsibilities when on board. TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE - Communication is critical and an ever-present challenge. Ground control must communicate with both the ISS and its various locations on the ground. It's not as simple as making a cell phone call or skyping. Distance is an obvious obstacle. NASA, and its partners must overcome the "US" versus "Them" dynamic between the flight crew and mission control. In additional to language differences at both mission control and the ISS, isolation is a problem. Astronauts can be on board the station for up to a year at a time. The confined spaces and lack of communication with family and friends are incredibly stressful. Thankfully new technology enables the flight crew to communicate more frequently and privately with others on the ground. THE ULTIMATE TELECOMMUTERS - An interesting way to think of astronauts and cosmonauts, is to think of them as the most extreme telecommuters. IMAGINE YOU'RE A LEADER OF THE ISS FLIGHT CREW. 1. What team challenges do you think would be most enjoyable for you? 2. What team challenges do you think would be most problematic for you? 3. What would you do to ensure the team works effectively and safely?