Dr Nina Jorden is Presenting at EGOS, Cagliari.

We are proud Nina is presenting our paper on “Is there a place for emotions in space? An analysis of astronauts’ Twitter profiles“. Here is the abstract:

This paper explores the emotional experiences of astronauts during space missions by analysing tweets using the notion of ‘scripts’. While space research traditionally understands emotions as isolated and adverse phenomena, this study aims to discern astronauts as human beings in a complex socio-technical system. Through a comprehensive analysis of astronauts’ Twitter profiles, four different emotional scripts were identified. These scripts reflect different social expectations, perceptions and roles attributed to astronauts and performed by them in public. However, conflicts between these scripts were also observed, highlighting the challenges astronauts face in reconciling their emotional experiences with the demands of their profession. In particular, the findings contribute to the literature on edge and extreme work. The practical implications of this study extend to the design of space systems, mission protocols and training programmes. In addition, the insights gained from studying the emotional experiences of astronauts can be applied to other professions that face prolonged isolation and confinement or high-intensity work. Ultimately, this research argues for socio-emotional perspective on well-being and mental health in the workplace that takes into account the influence of social norms and working conditions on emotional experiences. (Jorden, Stacey, Sage, Sykora, and Elayan, 2023)