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

Timeline of the Apollo missions. space exploration, infographic

Timeline of the Apollo Space Missions

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

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

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

World Data Locator Map: Australia

Is Australia an Island?

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).

How Many Countries Are There in the World?

Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966

9 Questions About the Vietnam War Answered

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Polar bear leaping among ice floes at Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago, Norway, the Arctic. Sea ice climate change mammal jump global warming

All 81 References in Fall Out Boy’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

astronaut: Facts & Related Content

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

News •

‘Where’s my camera?’: Astronaut shares wondrous views from space • Apr. 30, 2025, 9:40 AM ET (CNN)

Scientists sent beans into orbit and made ‘space miso.’ Here’s how it tasted • Apr. 2, 2025, 5:56 AM ET (CNN)

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

extravehicular activity backpack spacewalk untethered spacewalk crewed spacecraft space exploration spaceflight Moon exploration space law spacecraft space elevator

Key People

Ellison Onizuka

American astronaut

Paul J. Weitz

American astronaut

Russell Louis Schweickart

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

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

Peake, Tim

Tim Peake

British astronaut and military officer

Koichi Wakata

Koichi Wakata

Japanese engineer and astronaut

Nicollier, Claude

Claude Nicollier

Swiss test pilot and astronaut

Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa

American astronaut and administrator

Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson

United States senator

Mark Kelly and Scott Kelly

Mark Kelly

American astronaut and United States senator

From pilot to astronaut: Shubhanshu Shukla

Shubhanshu Shukla

Indian astronaut

Quiz

Hindenburg zeppelin crashing, 1937

Transportation and Technology Firsts 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

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