Tamara E. Jernigan
Tamara Elizabeth "Tammy" Jernigan, Ph.D. is an American scientist and former NASA astronaut and a veteran of five shuttle missions.
Linda M. Godwin
Linda Maxine Godwin Ph.D. is an American scientist and retired NASA astronaut. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. She retired in 2010. During her career, Godwin completed four space flights and logged over 38 days in ...
Charles D. Gemar
Charles Donald "Sam" Gemar is an American former astronaut with NASA and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Gemar has flown on three Space Shuttle missions (STS-38, STS-48 and STS-62). Gemar has completed 385 orbits of the ...
Stephen Thorne
Stephen Douglas Thorne was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot and a NASA astronaut candidate. He was born on February 11, 1953, in Frankfurt, West Germany, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975. He was a Navy fighter ...
Charles L. Veach
Charles Lacy Veach was a USAF fighter pilot and NASA astronaut.
Michael A. Baker
Michael Allen Baker is a retired captain in the United States Navy, former NASA astronaut, and the International Space Station Program Manager for International and Crew Operations, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He is responsible for the ...
Kathryn C. Thornton
Kathryn Ryan Cordell Thornton is an American scientist and a former NASA astronaut with over 975 hours in space, including 21 hours of extravehicular activity. She was the associate dean for graduate programs at the University of Virginia School ...
Mark C. Lee
Mark Charles Lee USAF Colonel is a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions. He retired from the Air Force and NASA on July 1, 2001.
Mark N. Brown
Mark Neil Brown is an American engineer, retired Colonel in the United States Air Force and former NASA astronaut.
Ellen S. Baker
Ellen Louise Shulman Baker, M.D., M.P.H. is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. Baker serves as Chief of the Education/Medical Branch of the NASA Astronaut Office.
James C. Adamson
James Craig Adamson is a former NASA astronaut and retired Colonel of the United States Army. He is married with 3 children. James Adamson flew on two missions, STS-28 and STS-43, and completed 263 orbits and 334 hours in space. After retiring ...
Jim Wetherbee
James Donald "Wxb" Wetherbee is an American former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six Space Shuttle missions and is the only American to have commanded five spaceflight ...
Michael J. McCulley
Michael James "Mike" McCulley is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, metallurgical engineer, former NASA astronaut, and was the first submariner in space.
Frank L. Culbertson Jr.
Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. is an American former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and NASA astronaut. He served as the Commander of the International Space Station for almost four months in 2001 and was the only American ...
Kenneth D. Cameron
Kenneth Donald is a retired American naval aviator, test pilot, engineer, U.S. Marine Corps officer, and NASA astronaut.
Robert C. Springer
Robert Clyde "Bob" Springer is a retired American astronaut and test pilot who flew as a Mission Specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1989 and 1990. A decorated aviator in the United States Marine Corps, Springer also flew ...
Sherwood C. Spring
Sherwood Clark "Woody" Spring is a retired United States Army colonel and former NASA astronaut. Spring is married with two children. He is the father of United States Olympian Justin Spring. Sherwood Spring has logged 165 hours in ...
Jerry L. Ross
Jerry Lynn Ross is a retired United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the joint record holder for most spaceflights (a record he shares with Franklin Chang-Diaz). His ...
William Frederick Fisher
William Frederick Fisher is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His time at NASA coincided ...
Bonnie J. Dunbar
Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar is a former NASA astronaut. She retired from NASA in September 2005 then served as president and CEO of The Museum of Flight until April 2010. From January 2013 - December 2015, Dr. Dunbar lead the University of ...
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.
