Content analysis of the crew communication with external communicants under prolonged isolation.

Background: The communication between space crews and outside monitoring personnel in Mission Control gives us valuable information about crewmember psychological health. Studying the formal parameters of similar communication during ground-based space simulation missions helps us understand the psychological climate of confined groups over time, and this information can be applied to long-term space missions.

Hypotheses: We hypothesized that psychological closing and information filtration will be observed in a confined crew as the mission progresses and will differ by the type of communication (e.

[The dynamics of communicative interaction of the crew with outside parties during long-term isolation].

Analyzed were indices of communicative activity of crew members during audio- and computer sessions in order to assess status and effectiveness of communicative interaction of crew with external parties. The investigation gave another evidence that an isolated small group develops "closing" and "internal censorship" in contacts with outer personnel. The conclusion was based on limited in intensity, number, topical spectrum and outer companion preference communication.