Astronaut

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An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. While generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists.

Until 2003, astronauts were sponsored and trained exclusively by governments, either by the military, or by civilian space agencies. However, with the sub-orbital flight of the privately-funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of astronaut was created: the commercial astronaut.

For more information about Astronaut, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

News tagged with astronauts

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Planet 51 Star Brings NASA's Message of Exploration Down to Earth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

12 hours ago | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Actor Dwayne Johnson, usually known for his action and comedic film roles, takes to the stars as an astronaut in a new animated feature that brings important messages about the importance of space exploration ...

Astronauts await word of baby girl on Earth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

14 hours ago | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Atlantis' astronauts anxiously awaited word on the birth of one crewman's daughter Friday, as they moved more supplies into the International Space Station and geared up for another spacewalk.

Astronauts get extra moving time at space station

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

20 hours ago | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- The astronauts aboard the shuttle-station complex are getting some extra moving time.

Astronauts get extra work done in 1st spacewalk (AP)

Astronauts get extra work done in 1st spacewalk (Update)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 1

(AP) -- A pair of spacewalking astronauts, one of them a surgeon, hustled through antenna and cable work outside the International Space Station on Thursday and even whipped off an extra chore.

Shuttle nears space station, docking scheduled (AP)

Shuttle docks at space station, unloads parts (Update 2)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 18, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost ...

In-orbit inspection scheduled for space shuttle (AP)

Astronauts inspect space shuttle in case of damage

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts scoured their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage while pursuing the International Space Station.

Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on supply mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began an 11-day delivery flight to the International Space Station on Monday with a 2:28 p.m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in ...

Astronauts board space shuttle Atlantis for launch

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- Astronauts climbed aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Monday for an afternoon liftoff to the space station, as the sky over the launching site gradually cleared.

NASA fuels space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- NASA is fueling space shuttle Atlantis for its afternoon liftoff.

NASA on track for Monday space shuttle launch

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 14, 2009 | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

(AP) -- NASA has cleared space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Monday on a trip to stock up the International Space Station with several years' worth of spare parts.

Discoveries in the Deep

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Nov 12, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Scientists from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have been using Pavilion Lake as a testing ground for the future human exploration of other worlds.

NASA tries 2nd time to launch experimental rocket

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 28, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 1

(AP) -- Bad weather was interfering with NASA's attempt to launch a new, experimental rocket for the second day in a row early Wednesday.

Circus founder calls his trip to space a success

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 13, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte on Tuesday called his 10-day space mission "a great success" because it drew attention to his efforts to guarantee access to clean water worldwide.

NASA Invites Young People to Take Virtual Space Station Spacewalks

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 06, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine the thrill of floating out of the International Space Station and into the emptiness of space and what it would be like to work on the orbiting science laboratory.

First NASA Astronaut on Twitter Tops a Million Followers

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 06, 2009 | not rated yet | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- The first astronaut to tweet from space has passed another social media milestone. NASA's Mike Massimino, known as @Astro_Mike on Twitter, now shares his daily experiences with more than a million followers ...