Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons
Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons hails from Calgary, Alberta. She holds an honors bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University in Montreal and a doctorate in engineering from the University of Cambridge. While at McGill, she ...
Joshua Kutryk
Joshua Kutryk, a Royal Canadian Air Force lieutenant colonel, is from Beauvallon, Alberta. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, as well as master’s degrees in space studies, flight test engineering, and defense studies. Prior to ...
Warren Hoburg
Warren Woodrow "Woody" Hoburg is an American engineer and NASA astronaut of the class of 2017.
Robert Hines
Robert "Bob" Thomas Hines, Jr. is an American fighter pilot and NASA astronaut of the class of 2017.
Kayla Barron
Kayla Jane Barron is an American submarine warfare officer and NASA astronaut candidate of the class of 2017.
Thomas Pesquet
Thomas Gautier Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer, pilot, and European Space Agency astronaut. Pesquet was selected by ESA as a candidate in May 2009, and he successfully completed his basic training in November 2010. From November 2016 to ...
Christina Koch
Christina Hammock Koch (born January 29, 1979) is a NASA astronaut of the class of 2013.
Rosie the Astronaut
Rosie the Astronaut is an Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD), named after the iconic WWII character, Rosie the Riveter. It will launch aboard the Boeing Starliner for its inaugural uncrewed flight to the International Space Station and back.
Alexey Leonov
Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov (Russian: Алексе́й Архи́пович Лео́нов, IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksʲej ɐˈrxʲipəvʲɪtɕ lʲɪˈonəf]; born 30 May 1934) is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut, Air Force Major general, writer and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first ...
Hazza Al Mansouri
Hazza Al Mansouri is one of the first two astronauts from the United Arab Emirates.
Ronald A. Parise
Ronald Anthony Parise (May 24, 1951 – May 9, 2008) was an Italian American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel Thornton Durrance (Ph.D.) was an American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.
F. Drew Gaffney
Francis Andrew "Drew" Gaffney is an American doctor. He previously worked for NASA and participated in the STS-40 Space Life Sciences (SLS 1) Space Shuttle mission in 1991 as a payload specialist. The SLS-1 mission crew completed over ...
Lawrence J. DeLucas
Lawrence James "Larry" DeLucas (O. D., Ph.D.) is an American biochemist who flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-50 as a Payload Specialist. DeLucas was a member of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia for STS-50 (June 25-July 9, ...
Eugene H. Trinh
Eugene Huu-Chau "Gene" Trinh (Vietnamese: Trịnh Hữu Châu, born September 14, 1950) is a Vietnamese American biochemist who flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-50 as a Payload Specialist, becoming the first Vietnamese American ...
Christa McAuliffe
Sharon Christa McAuliffe (born Sharon Christa Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire and one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
William A. Pailes
William Arthur Pailes (Colonel, USAF) (born June 26, 1952) was a USAF astronaut in the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program during the mid-1980s. He served as a Payload Specialist on STS-51-J Atlantis (October 3–7, 1985).
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born 27 June 1956) is a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist, and a member of the House of Saud. He is thus the first ...
Edwin Jacob Garn
Edwin Jacob "Jake" Garn (born October 12, 1932) is an American astronaut and politician, a member of the Republican Party, who served as a U.S. Senator representing Utah from 1974 to 1993. Garn became the first sitting member of the ...
John-David F. Bartoe
John-David Francis Bartoe (born November 17, 1944 in Abington, Pennsylvania) is an American astrophysicist. He is the Research Manager for the International Space Station (ISS) at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He provides oversight for the ...
What is the difference between a cosmonaut and an astronaut?
Cosmonaut and astronaut are synonyms, that is, theoretically we can use them interchangeably, but traditionally we call people launched into space by the Americans astronauts and by the Russians cosmonauts, regardless of what nationalities they were. That is, Americans, Canadians, Japanese, Italians, French and Germans flying with Americans are astronauts. In contrast, General Hermaszewski, the only (so far) Pole in Space, is called a cosmonaut because he flew as part of the Soviet space program.
