Difference Between Astronaut and Cosmonaut

One of the most common dreams of children around the world is to be able to venture out into space and see all of the planets in our solar system. Although we like to think that space is so close to Earth, it is actually a lot farther than you could imagine. If you’ve ever looked up to the sky and thought that one day it could be possible for you to venture out into the great unknown, it is important to remember what is first expected of you both physically and academically. As an astronaut or a cosmonaut there are years of schooling, training, and hands-on experience that you need to have before you can even be considered to fly into space. In fact, these professionals are some of the most intelligent people that you would find on Earth as they are quite skilled in a variety of scientific and mathematic studies.

Having the Same Meaning

When you start talking about space travelers there are two iconic terms that will generally be brought up, cosmonaut and astronaut. This leaves many people wondering why they have two names if both of these individuals train to be space travelers. In fact, astronauts and cosmonauts are essentially the same thing as they’re both personnel that take a ship into space and apply to be a part of the space flight program. The main differences that you’re going to find between the two include: where the terms of used and who are the groups of people that are using the terms.

The History of the Names

This story dates back to the Cold War when Russia (USSR at the time) and the United States of America were such large competitors that they had to be different in every aspect. This included coming up with different names for their space travelers. In today’s society most people refer to both as astronauts as they are individuals that are both touring space. But in the past, the Russians laid claim to the term “Cosmonaut” whereas North Americans, the United States in particular, settled on the term “Astronaut”.

Who Are Astronauts?

Every word that we have in the English language has been derived from another country and in this case, Greece. The word “Astro” refers to “Space” and the word “Naut” refers to “Sailor”, meaning that an astronaut is really a space sailor. There are a variety of different tasks that are assigned to you as an astronaut as each person on the spacecraft will be responsible for a part of the mission. For example, you can have a couple of individuals that are responsible for piloting the craft whereas other members of the crew may be responsible for servicing the craft while it’s in space. Most operating crews will also have a commanding service member that will be responsible for making sure that their team is on track for completing their mission. Every person that is declared an astronaut shares the same knowledge and experience, though some may have a specialty, such as piloting. All astronauts have a further knowledge about space and how human beings relate to being in space.

Who Are Cosmonauts?

Derived from the Russian words “Kosmos” and “Nautes”, a cosmonaut is a “Space Sailor” as well, just in a completely different language. There are some people that will argue that Russia essentially refuses to use the term “Astronaut” because of their feud with the United States, although the two terms mean the same thing.

If you were to take the time to sit down and review the job descriptions for both astronauts and cosmonauts there would be no differences. Each person should be skilled in piloting or servicing an aircraft, have a sufficient understanding of life in space, and how human beings relate to space. All of these factors are exactly the same as the requirements for astronauts in America.

Although the United States were first to put men on the moon, Russia still has a strong record with sending people into space. With Yuri Gagarin, he was the first person in the world to be sent into space. There was also Alexei Leonov who was the first person in Russia’s history to spacewalk. In terms of learning more about what space has to offer, Valeri Polyakov was the first cosmonaut to conduct research for almost 2 years away from Earth.

Who Landed on the Moon First?

One of the main reasons for why the United States and the USSR were such strong competitors was to see which country would be the first to put a person on the moon. This led to both space agencies working diligently to train and suit skilled individuals to be able to claim land on a planet. With the creation of Apollo 11, the United States were first to send men to the moon.

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