An astronaut is a person trained to perform a specific task on a craft designed and intended to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere. The term "astronaut" derives from the Greek words meaning "space sailor." The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses the term to designate all persons who have been launched as crew members aboard NASA spacecraft bound for Earth orbit and beyond. The term is also used by NASA to designate everyone selected to join the corps of NASA astronauts, whether they have been in space or not.

The Past

Between April 9, 1959, when the first seven U.S. astronauts were presented at a press conference in Washington, DC, and 1978, a total of 73 men were selected as astronauts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Of these individuals, 43 flew in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab programs. In 1978, 35 new astronaut candidates were selected for the Space Shuttle program...