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Rapport-building in extreme environments: the case of astronauts in space and support crew on the ground

  • Dennis Jim Frederiksen earned his PhD in interpersonal organizational communication from Aalborg University and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Psychology within the same institution. His research focuses on interpersonal communication, organizational processes, and communities, with a recent emphasis on examining the coexistence of inherent and instrumental value in interpersonal relationships.

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Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 21. Februar 2025

Abstract

This paper explores the ways in which conversation partners demonstrate and develop familiarity and rapport with each other from a distance when one partner, an astronaut, works in the isolated, confined, and extreme environment of a spacecraft. Employing methodologies of pragmatics and pragmatic act theory, I explore radio communication between astronauts on missions in space and support crews on the ground. The audio-recorded conversations (189 h) took place between mission control centers on earth and astronauts on board the International Space Station. The findings reveal that rapport-building in space-to-ground communication occurs through a range of strategies, including stylistic playfulness, recognition of familiarity between speakers, reassurance, and self-deprecating humor. What distinguishes this exploration from existing research is its focus on the coexistence and intertwining of rapport-building with task-oriented communication in the extreme environment of human space flight.


Corresponding author: Dennis Jim Frederiksen, Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University, Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark, E-mail:

About the author

Dennis Jim Frederiksen

Dennis Jim Frederiksen earned his PhD in interpersonal organizational communication from Aalborg University and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Psychology within the same institution. His research focuses on interpersonal communication, organizational processes, and communities, with a recent emphasis on examining the coexistence of inherent and instrumental value in interpersonal relationships.

Appendix: Transcription symbols used in this paper

Bold Italics: Indicates emphasis. Can be signaled by changes in pitch and/or amplitude ( word )

  • Cut-off: A dash marks a sudden cut-off of the current sound (wor-)

  • Pause length in seconds (2.5)

  • Micropause (.)

  • Talk, louder than surrounding talk (CAPS)

  • Other details ((word))

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Received: 2023-10-24
Accepted: 2024-12-24
Published Online: 2025-02-21
Published in Print: 2025-09-25

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Heruntergeladen am 22.4.2026 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/text-2023-0203/html
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