A person who flies in space. An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek astro meaning ‘star’, and nautes meaning ‘sailor’) is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travellers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space.

Astronauts fielded by the Soviet Union are known as Cosmonauts. Since 1961, 622 astronauts have flown in space. 70 have been women. There have been one each from France, Italy, South Korea, and the United Kingdom; two each from Canada, China, and Japan; five from the Soviet Union; and 55 from the United States.

Watch this video: What Do Astronauts Do?