The evolution of methodological approaches to the psychological analysis of the crew communications with Mission Control Center

Abstract

The study of the crew communications with Mission Control Center (MCC) is a standard procedure of remote medical and psychological monitoring of space crews in Federal Space Agency of Russia. The main purpose of this analysis can be considered as obtaining of diagnostic data on the psycho-neurological status affected by space flight factors. The article presents an overview of the results of 20 years investigations of the crew communications with MCC in the series of ground experiments with isolation and confinement, and in the pilot study aboard the International State Station (ISS), as well. The special attention was paid to the evolution of methodological approaches to the study of speech. The main results of the crew communications studies under the effects of space flight factors are presented, the basic phenomena of its dynamics under the conditions of long-term isolation, sensory deprivation, monotony, autonomy and communication delay are considered. The prospects of studying the space crew communications within the frame of onboard experiment “Content” are discussed.