Frederick W. Sturckow
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow is an Engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former NASA astronaut, and commercial spacecraft pilot. Sturckow is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. He flew on STS-88 and STS-105 as ...
Susan Kilrain
Susan Kilrain is an engineer, a former United States Navy officer, and a former NASA astronaut.
Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie
Dominic Lee Pudwill Gorie is a retired United States Navy officer and NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four space shuttle missions.
Joe F. Edwards Jr.
Joe Frank Edwards Jr. is an American aerospace engineer, and former naval officer and aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut.
Michael J. Bloomfield
Michael John "Bloomer" Bloomfield is an American former astronaut and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions.
Joseph R. Tanner
Joseph Richard "Joe" Tanner is an American instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder, mechanical engineer, a former naval officer and aviator, and a former NASA astronaut. He was born in Danville, Illinois. He is unusual among ...
Mark L. Polansky
Mark Lewis "Roman" Polansky is an American aerospace engineer and research pilot and a former NASA astronaut. Polansky received the nickname "Roman" as a joke, because he shares a last name with director Roman Polanski. He ...
Winston E. Scott
Winston Elliott Scott is a retired United States Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut. He served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997 logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including three ...
Scott E. Parazynski
Scott Edward Parazynski is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. A veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks, Parazynski's latest mission was STS-120 in October, 2007 – highlighted by a dramatic, unplanned EVA ...
Michael López-Alegría
Michael López-Alegría is a Spanish-American astronaut; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. He is known for having performed ten spacewalks so far in his career, presently holding the second ...
Richard M. Linnehan
Richard Michael Linnehan is an American veterinarian and a former NASA astronaut.
Jerry M. Linenger
Jerry Michael Linenger is a retired Captain in the United States Navy Medical Corps, and a former NASA astronaut who flew on the Space Shuttle and Space Station Mir.
Wendy B. Lawrence
Wendy Barrien Lawrence is a retired United States Navy Captain, former helicopter pilot, an engineer, and a former NASA astronaut. She was the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to fly into space and she has also visited the ...
John M. Grunsfeld
John Mace Grunsfeld is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and has served as NASA Chief Scientist. His academic background includes research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray ...
Michael L. Gernhardt
Michael Landon Gernhardt is a NASA astronaut and manager of Environmental Physiology Laboratory and principal investigator of the Prebreathe Reduction Program (PRP) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Daniel T. Barry
Daniel Thomas Barry is an American engineer, scientist, and a retired NASA astronaut. He was a contestant on the CBS reality television program Survivor: Panama, as well as on BattleBots on ABC. He was at Singularity University from 2009–2012, ...
Kevin R. Kregel
Kevin Richard Kregel is an American former astronaut, and former member of the Space Launch Initiative Project at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Brent W. Jett Jr.
Brent Ward Jett Jr. is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace and aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut.
Carl E. Walz
Carl Erwin Walz is a former NASA astronaut currently working for Orbital Sciences Corporation's Advanced Programs Group as Vice President for Human Space Flight Operations. Walz was formerly assigned to the Exploration Systems Mission ...
Donald A. Thomas
Donald Alan Thomas, Ph.D. is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.
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.
