Astronaut

An astronaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. During their career, astronauts typically go through extensive and rigorous training in order to prepare for their missions. The term "astronaut" derives from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον), meaning "star", and nautes (ναύτης), meaning "sailor". The term is commonly applied to those who have been beyond the Earth's atmosphere, and in the U.S., the term is also applied to those who travel into space aboard any type of aircraft. In Russian, an astronaut is called kosmonavt (космонавт), while in Chinese, the term is yuháng yuán (宇航员). In Hebrew, the term is mahalal (מחלל). Astronauts may also conduct experiments in orbit, pilot spacecraft, or simply go along as a passenger or tourist. Experienced astronauts are usually involved in the development and design of future spacecraft, and may also be called upon to act as the spokesperson or representative of national space agencies. The first human to journey into outer space was the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.