Knowra Astronaut Astronaut An astronaut is a person trained to travel and work aboard a spacecraft. Astronauts operate vehicles, conduct missions, and perform tasks in the demanding conditions of spaceflight.
International Space Station : A habitable research laboratory in low Earth orbit operated by a partnership of space agencies. Long-duration crews maintain this orbital laboratory and conduct experiments aboard it.
Space suit : A wearable system that supplies pressure, oxygen, temperature control, and protection in space. It preserves life support when astronauts leave a pressurized spacecraft.
Soviet space program : The state-directed effort that developed Soviet spacecraft, satellites, and crewed space missions. Its early missions established the first generation of professional cosmonauts.
Space Race : The Cold War competition between the United States and Soviet Union in space exploration. Astronaut missions became highly visible measures of national capability during this rivalry.
Spacewalk : An activity in which an astronaut works outside a spacecraft while wearing a spacesuit. Astronauts use spacewalks to repair spacecraft, install equipment, and conduct external work.
Human spaceflight : Space travel in which people are carried aboard spacecraft. Astronaut work depends on the vehicles, mission design, and safety systems of human spaceflight.
NASA : The United States government agency responsible for civilian space exploration and aeronautics research. NASA selected and trained the first American astronauts and continues to operate crewed missions.
Apollo program : NASA's crewed lunar exploration program, which landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. Apollo made astronaut fieldwork on another world a reality.
Lunar exploration : The investigation of the Moon using crewed missions, robotic spacecraft, and surface instruments. Lunar missions make astronauts explorers as well as spacecraft operators and researchers.
Astronaut training : Preparation for spacecraft operations, mission tasks, physical demands, and emergencies. Training rehearses procedures and builds skills for unfamiliar and hazardous conditions.
Show all 24