astronaut

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Robert Gibson and Vladimir Dezhurov

Pavel Popovich on Vostok 4

John Glenn entering Friendship 7

Valentina Tereshkova

Robert L. Satcher, Jr.

What does it take to become an astronaut?

astronaut training

Richard R. Arnold II

For Students

Robert Gibson and Vladimir Dezhurov

astronaut summary

Read Next

Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong (center), command pilot, and David R. Scott (right), pilot of the Gemini-8 prime crew, are suited up for water egress training aboard the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico. At left is Dr. Kenneth N. Beers, M.D., Flight Medicine Branch, Center Medical Office. Training for Gemini 8, Gemini-titan-8. January 15, 1966

How Gemini 8 Made History and Avoided Disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia soars from Launch Pad 39A on July 1 1997 to begin the 16-day STS-94 Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission.

12 Questions About the History of Space Exploration Answered

October 18, 2019. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir waves at the camera during a spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch (out of frame). They ventured into the vacuum of space for seven hours and 17 minutes to swap a failed battery charge-discharge unit (BCDU) with a spare during the first all-woman spacewalk. The BCDU regulates the charge to the batteries that collect and distribute solar power to the orbiting lab's systems.

7 Questions for Astronaut Jessica Meir

Timeline of the Apollo missions. space exploration, infographic

Timeline of the Apollo Space Missions

Communism - mosaic hammer and sickle with star on the Pavilion of Ukraine at the All Russia Exhibition Centre (also known as VDNKh) in Moscow. Communist symbol of the former Soviet Union. USSR

Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?

Discover

New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality

How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?

Salem Witch Trials. Photogravure after the painting by Walter McEwen titled - The Witches - circa 1890s.

How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

astronaut: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 01, 2025

Facts

Also Known As	taikonaut • cosmonaut • yuhangyuan

Photos and Videos

Robert Gibson and Vladimir Dezhurov

Pavel Popovich on Vostok 4

John Glenn entering Friendship 7

Valentina Tereshkova

Robert L. Satcher, Jr.

astronaut training

Richard R. Arnold II

International Space Station: transfer of supplies and equipment

What does it take to become an astronaut?

NASA's journey to landing a man on the Moon

Who is Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut?

Living in weightlessness: Life on the International Space Station

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

spacewalk extravehicular activity backpack untethered spacewalk crewed spacecraft space exploration spaceflight Moon exploration space law spacecraft Who Won the Space Race?space elevator

Key People

Russell Louis Schweickart

American astronaut

Paul J. Weitz

American astronaut

Ellison Onizuka

American astronaut

Jonny Kim

Jonny Kim

Korean-American Navy SEAL, doctor, aviator, and astronaut

Ed Dwight in his studio, 2015

Ed Dwight

American sculptor and astronaut

Peggy Whitson

Peggy Whitson

American biochemist and astronaut

Sally Ride

Sally Ride

American astronaut

Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield

Canadian astronaut

Sunita Williams

Sunita Williams

American astronaut

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong

American astronaut

Stephanie Wilson

Stephanie Wilson

American astronaut

John Glenn

John Glenn

American astronaut and United States senator

Fighter pilot, astronaut, and rocket scientist Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair

Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair

Indian fighter pilot and astronaut

Susan Helms, 2001.

Susan Helms

American astronaut and Air Force officer

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla

Indian-born American astronaut

Peake, Tim

Tim Peake

British astronaut and military officer

Koichi Wakata

Koichi Wakata

Japanese engineer and astronaut

From pilot to astronaut: Shubhanshu Shukla

Shubhanshu Shukla

Indian astronaut

Nicollier, Claude

Claude Nicollier

Swiss test pilot and astronaut

Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa

American astronaut and administrator

Quiz

Edwin E. Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) stands on the moon, Apollo 11

Famous Astronauts and Cosmonauts

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

Hindenburg zeppelin crashing, 1937

Transportation and Technology Firsts Quiz

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

List

The Space Shuttle Columbia soars from Launch Pad 39A on July 1 1997 to begin the 16-day STS-94 Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission.

12 Questions About the History of Space Exploration Answered