Roles

Canonical definitions of operational roles within Terra Nordica missions and infrastructure. Roles describe functions, not people.

Mission Commander

CREW · Command

Final authority on landing, aborts, and return timing. Integrates inputs from all specialists and manages risk across all critical decisions.

Responsibilities

Makes final decisions on landing sequence, abort thresholds, and return timing. Integrates inputs from pilot, life support, power, and medical specialists. Provides backup decision-making for life support and EVA operations. Manages crew morale and decision-making discipline under extreme stress.

Qualifications

Advanced training in aerospace operations and leadership. Extensive experience in high-stakes decision-making environments. Proven ability to manage competing priorities and manage risk. Excellent health and psychological clearance for long-duration isolation and command responsibility.

Pilot

CREW · Operations

Owns landing sequence, guidance, navigation, and control. Monitors descent systems, landing legs, thrusters, and sensors throughout approach and landing.

Responsibilities

Executes landing sequence and maintains guidance, navigation, and control. Monitors all descent systems and sensor data. Conducts rapid problem-solving if systems degrade during landing. Leads post-landing structural and systems verification. Provides real-time feedback to mission commander on vehicle state.

Qualifications

Advanced training in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control systems. Extensive experience with landing operations and spacecraft systems. Proven ability to handle dynamic troubleshooting under pressure. Excellent hand-eye coordination and decision-making skills.

Life Support & Environmental Systems Engineer

CREW · Engineering

Responsible for air, pressure, CO₂ removal, water, and thermal control systems. This is the most failure-sensitive role on Mars during initial landing phase.

Responsibilities

Monitors and manages air composition, pressure regulation, CO₂ removal, water systems, and thermal control. Performs rapid fault isolation during first 72 hours. Trains rest of crew on emergency procedures and system operation. Provides real-time decision support to mission commander on life support state.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in aerospace engineering, environmental systems, or equivalent. Deep expertise in life support system design and operation. Proven ability to diagnose and repair complex environmental systems. Experience with contingency operations and emergency procedures.

Power & Electrical Systems Engineer

CREW · Engineering

Manages power generation, batteries, and distribution systems. Ensures power stability during landing and maintains priority allocation to life support and comms.

Responsibilities

Monitors power generation and battery status during landing. Manages load prioritization during startup and emergency scenarios. Keeps communications and life support powered under degraded power conditions. Diagnoses and responds to electrical faults. Provides power state assessment to mission commander.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in electrical engineering or equivalent. Expertise in power systems, batteries, and distribution networks. Proven experience with emergency power management. Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills.

Mechanical / Structural Engineer

CREW · Engineering

Manages habitat deployment, seals, hatches, and structural systems. Conducts post-landing structural inspection and leads repairs.

Responsibilities

Deploys and secures habitat systems including hatches, seals, and structural components. Conducts detailed structural inspection after landing to identify damage or stress. Leads improvisation and repairs of mechanical systems to maintain habitability. Works closely with life support engineer on sealed environment integrity.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in mechanical or structural engineering. Expertise in habitat design, deployment systems, and structural analysis. Strong hands-on repair and troubleshooting skills. Experience with pressure vessel systems and sealing technologies.

EVA & Surface Operations Specialist

CREW · Operations

Plans and leads all extravehicular activities. Manages suit systems, tools, and airlock discipline during external operations.

Responsibilities

Designs and plans all EVA operations with strict safety protocols. Manages suit systems, equipment, and tool deployment. Maintains airlock discipline and procedures. Conducts external inspections and limited sample collection. Enforces no-cowboy procedures and maintains discipline over exploration speed.

Qualifications

Advanced training in EVA operations, suit systems, and extravehicular procedures. Extensive experience with pressure suit technology and emergency egress. Strong safety discipline and risk management mindset. Excellent physical fitness and ability to work in restrictive suits.

Medical Officer

CREW · Medical

Provides emergency medical care, acute illness management, and fatigue monitoring. Backs up operations and comms during low workload periods.

Responsibilities

Delivers trauma care and acute illness treatment with limited resources. Monitors crew health status and cognitive state for fatigue or degradation. Manages stress and psychological support for crew under extreme conditions. Backs up operations and communications functions during lower-workload periods.

Qualifications

Advanced medical degree with emergency medicine specialization. Extensive trauma care and emergency procedure training. Experience in remote/isolated medical settings. Proven ability to stay calm and decisive during medical emergencies.

Science & Instrumentation Specialist

CREW · Science

Manages prioritized science payloads, sampling, and instrumentation. Balances science objectives with operational safety and crew survival priorities.

Responsibilities

Operates science instruments and payloads according to mission priorities. Handles sample collection and documentation with scientific rigor. Manages sensor data and communications. Backs up comms and data handling during peak operations. Maintains scientific discipline while prioritizing crew safety.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in planetary science, geology, or related field. Experience with scientific instrumentation and data collection. Strong attention to detail and documentation skills. Ability to prioritize science objectives appropriately within mission constraints.

Captain

CREW · Command

The highest authority aboard the Utopia Mars Liner and overall commander of the expedition, holding final decision authority over all mission-critical matters.

Responsibilities

Maintains clear command hierarchy and discipline, resolves conflicts, and enforces mission rules. Holds ultimate responsibility for crew safety and mission success. Leads and coordinates emergency response to fire, decompression, medical crises, or system failures. Makes final decisions on aborts, course changes, and mission termination. Maintains high-level oversight of all critical systems, delegating to specialists while retaining final authority over system trade-offs involving power, propulsion, life support, and resources. Serves as the primary point of contact with mission control and external command authorities, handling official, legal, diplomatic, and protocol-related matters. Documents major incidents and command decisions and sets the operational tone through calm, decisive, and predictable leadership under pressure.

Qualifications

Advanced training in aerospace, naval operations, engineering, or equivalent fields, combined with formal command and leadership education. Certified knowledge of spacecraft systems, navigation, safety, and emergency procedures. Extensive hands-on experience in mission-critical roles, including prior service as a senior officer or deputy commander. Proven performance in high-risk, high-stress operational environments. Excellent physical health, psychological resilience, and emotional stability, with full medical and psychological clearance for long-duration isolation and command responsibility. Demonstrated willingness to accept full accountability for outcomes and strict adherence to mission protocols and ethical standards.

First Officer

CREW · Command

Second-in-command of the Utopia Mars Liner, responsible for executing the Captain’s intent and ensuring smooth day-to-day ship operations.

Responsibilities

Assumes command authority if the Captain is incapacitated. Serves as bridge officer during assigned shifts and enforces command decisions. Oversees daily operations, watch schedules, and procedural compliance. Coordinates between departments including engineering, life support, medical, and security. Monitors crew performance, fatigue, and readiness, and leads emergency response when delegated. Acts as the primary operational advisor to the Captain and ensures continuity of command intent across all mission activities.

Qualifications

Advanced operational and systems training with significant mission experience in senior operational roles. Certified on all critical ship systems and emergency procedures. Demonstrated leadership and sound decision-making under pressure. Fully medically and psychologically cleared for command succession, high-responsibility decision roles, and long-duration missions.

Chief Engineer

CREW · Engineering

Senior engineering authority aboard the Utopia Mars Liner, responsible for the integrity, availability, and survivability of all technical systems. Chief Engineer is an Officer, the highest tier on a ship

Responsibilities

Serves as fifth in command with overall authority for engineering systems including power generation and distribution, propulsion support, life-support infrastructure, thermal regulation, and structural integrity. Maintains system availability, redundancy, and fault tolerance across all mission phases. Sets engineering priorities and maintenance schedules, balancing long-term reliability against immediate operational demands. Leads diagnosis and response to system failures and degradations, authorizing system shutdowns, reconfigurations, and emergency trade-offs when required. Advises command staff on technical risks, system margins, and failure cascades. Commands engineering personnel and enforces engineering procedures, standards, and safety protocols throughout the mission.

Qualifications

Advanced engineering degree or equivalent operational background with extensive experience in complex, safety-critical systems. Certified on all major ship systems, redundancy architectures, and emergency operating modes. Proven leadership in high-stress, failure-driven environments requiring irreversible technical decisions. Demonstrated analytical judgment under uncertainty. Fully medically and psychologically cleared for long-duration missions.

ISRU Systems Planning Authority

PRIMARY · Surface Engineering

Mission authority responsible for planning, validating, and approving in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) activities and their interaction with surface infrastructure.

Responsibilities

Evaluates and approves plans for regolith excavation, ice extraction, and material processing in relation to habitat safety and long-term stability. Reviews load models, subsidence risk, fracture propagation, and contamination pathways. Defines safe operational boundaries for ISRU activities near inhabited structures. Has authority to halt or restrict ISRU-related operations if structural or geological assumptions are insufficiently validated. Coordinates with surface construction, science, and mission operations teams.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in geological engineering, planetary geology, or related field. Demonstrated experience with regolith mechanics, subsurface modeling, or off-world resource systems. Strong analytical judgment and documentation discipline. Medically and psychologically cleared.

Surface Infrastructure Analyst

PRIMARY · Surface Engineering

Specialist responsible for analyzing the performance, durability, and risk profile of surface infrastructure under Martian environmental conditions.

Responsibilities

Monitors structural performance of surface habitats, foundations, and load-bearing elements using sensor data and predictive models. Assesses wear, settlement, thermal stress, and material degradation over time. Provides analytical input for expansion planning, reinforcement needs, and maintenance prioritization. Supports construction and ISRU planning with data-driven risk assessments. Maintains infrastructure performance documentation and reports deviations to mission leadership.

Qualifications

Degree in civil, structural, or geological engineering, or equivalent experience. Familiarity with extreme-environment construction and monitoring systems. Strong data analysis and reporting skills. Medically and psychologically cleared.

Habitat Structural Safety Officer

PRIMARY · Safety & Risk

Emergency-designated safety officer responsible for structural risk assessment and immediate safety decisions related to surface habitats.

Responsibilities

Assesses structural integrity of habitats during incidents involving impact, settlement, cracking, or environmental stress. Determines habitability status of affected modules and recommends evacuation, restriction, or continued use. Acts as technical authority during structural emergencies, providing clear go/no-go guidance to mission command. Coordinates with medical, operations, and construction teams during response and recovery phases.

Qualifications

Formal training in structural safety, engineering risk assessment, or related discipline. Proven ability to make conservative safety decisions under time pressure. Clear understanding of authority limits and escalation protocols. Medically and psychologically cleared.

Chef

CREW · Hospitality

Crew member responsible for food preparation, meal planning, and nutritional delivery for passengers and crew.

Responsibilities

Plans and prepares meals within logistical, nutritional, and resource constraints. Ensures food safety, hygiene, and dietary compliance. Adapts menus to mission duration, supply limitations, and crew/passenger health needs. Coordinates with logistics and medical staff on rationing, special diets, and emergency provisioning.

Qualifications

Professional culinary training or equivalent experience in large-scale or constrained food-service environments. Knowledge of nutrition, food safety, and hygiene standards. Ability to operate under strict schedules and limited resources. Medically and psychologically cleared for long-duration missions.

Botanist

PRIMARY · Life Support

Crew specialist responsible for plant cultivation, ecosystem health, and biological stability within the Botanical Garden.

Responsibilities

Manages plant growth systems, crop health, and biological cycles within the garden. Oversees seeding, harvesting, pruning, and plant replacement schedules. Monitors soil, nutrient, water, and atmospheric parameters affecting plant viability. Responds to plant disease, contamination, or system degradation events. Coordinates closely with life-support, logistics, and medical teams to ensure food security, air revitalization contribution, and psychological benefits of green spaces.

Qualifications

Training in botany, agriculture, plant biology, or controlled-environment cultivation. Experience with hydroponic, aeroponic, or closed-loop growth systems. Strong observational skills and procedural discipline. Medically and psychologically cleared

Crew Performance Researcher

PRIMARY · Human Factors & Research

Specialist embedded with the mission to study, monitor, and improve human performance during long-duration spaceflight.

Responsibilities

Conducts continuous assessment of cognitive load, fatigue, stress, morale, and group dynamics among crew and passengers. Collects behavioral, physiological, and self-reported data under isolation and confinement conditions. Identifies early indicators of performance degradation, burnout, or conflict. Produces actionable recommendations for mission leadership and medical staff. Coordinates closely with psychological support, medical, and command teams while maintaining strict ethical and data privacy standards.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in human factors, behavioral science, psychology, or related field. Demonstrated experience with confined, isolated, or extreme environments (e.g., polar stations, submarines, orbital missions). Strong analytical skills and ethical research practice. Medically and psychologically cleared.

Uniform Services Technician

SECONDARY · Hospitality & Operations

Crew specialist responsible for uniform, garment, and linen maintenance across the vessel.

Responsibilities

Manages cleaning, sanitation, repair, and distribution of crew and passenger uniforms and linens. Operates and maintains laundry and textile-care systems. Ensures hygiene standards, fabric longevity, and contamination control. Coordinates with logistics and medical teams regarding special handling, biohazard protocols, and material shortages. Maintains inventory records and rotation schedules for garments and linens with the help of AAIDe and works below a Housekeeper.

Qualifications

Training or experience in textile care, industrial laundry operations, or uniform services. Familiarity with hygiene protocols and material handling standards. Attention to detail and reliability in routine operations. Medically and psychologically cleared

EVA Support Technician

EMERGENCY · Engineering

Supports extravehicular activities by maintaining suits and EVA-related systems.

Responsibilities

Prepares EVA equipment, assists with airlock operations, and monitors EVA safety systems.

Qualifications

Technical training in mechanical systems with EVA or suit-support experience.

Mission Control Director

GROUND · Command

Leads null-based mission control operations supporting the Utopia mission.

Responsibilities

Oversees ground operations, coordinates analysis and decision support, and serves as the primary null-side authority.

Qualifications

Extensive mission operations experience with leadership background in aerospace or complex system control environments.