Table of Contents
What are the three types of astronauts?
There are three types of astronauts in the U.S. space program: the commander/pilot, mission specialist, and payload specialist. The commander is responsible for the mission, the crew and the vehicle.
What is the job of an astronaut called?
Mission specialist astronauts work with pilots to maintain spacecraft and equipment, conduct experiments and launch satellites. Mission specialists may be engineers, scientists or physicians. NASA has also introduced mission specialist educator astronauts.
What do most astronauts do?
An astronaut’s primary job while on the space station is to conduct scientific experiments and maintain the space station.
Can astronauts be buried at Arlington?
The unidentified, commingled remains of all seven Challenger astronauts are buried beneath the Challenger Memorial in Section 46. Remains of two astronauts that could be identified are also buried in individual graves, as noted below.
What positions do astronauts have?
There are 3 types of positions open for astronauts: Commander/Pilot astronauts who serve both as space shuttle commanders and pilots and are responsible for crew safety and mission success; Mission Specialist who are in charge of coordinating shuttle operations, planning and supervising crew activity, consumable usage …
Did they find all the bodies from the Challenger?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said today that it had recovered remains of each of the seven Challenger astronauts and had finished its operations to retrieve the wreckage of the space shuttle’s crew compartment from the ocean floor. In a statement released at the Kennedy Space Center, Rear Adm.
Where is Christa McAuliffe husband?
McAuliffe continues to serve as a founding director for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.
What does an astronaut do?
As a civil servant, astronauts have to go to training sessions, write reports, and attend meetings, similar to any other office worker. When in orbit, an astronaut will spend most of their time in the craft or space station, occasionally having to do a spacewalk to make repairs, or deploy a satellite, etc. Astronauts are also known as:
What is the origin of the term astronaut?
In 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) adopted the word astronaut (meaning “sailor among the stars”) for the men and women they would train to go into space. The Soviet space agency came up with a similar term, cosmonaut (which means “sailor of the universe”) at about the same time.
Who is the first female astronaut to become an educator?
Educator Features. 1963: Russian Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to fly in space. 1969: Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the surface of the Moon. He was also the first astronaut to become an educator. (Apollo 11) 1983: Sally Ride was America’s first female astronaut to fly on the Space Shuttle.
What is the workday of an astronaut like?
An astronaut’s workday is from approximately 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time. This day includes three meals and 2.5 hours of physical exercise to maintain muscle tone and fitness. Although Shuttle missions are shorter than Space Station expeditions, NASA astronauts live and work on the Shuttle for days at a time.