What's the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut?

Cosmonauts are people trained and certified by the Russian Space Agency to work in space. Astronauts are people trained and certified by NASA, ESA, CSA, or JAXA to work in space. read more

Astronaut and cosmonaut almost have the same meaning as far as the profession is concerned. It is because of the space race that different terms were created. Yet, there are a few notable differences than Americans using the term"astronaut" and Russians using the term"cosmonaut". Astronauts have to pilot spacecraft as well as do its servicing. read more

• The difference that exists between astronaut and cosmonaut is that astronaut is used by the English speaking world led by USA while cosmonaut is used by Russia. • These two terms came into being during the cold war to refer to the space travelers of Russia and USA. read more

Astronaut vs. Cosmonaut Astronaut and cosmonaut are terms that are related to the space flight program. They almost have the same meaning as far as their profession is concerned, but there are some noticeable differences. read more

NASA astronaut Jack David Fischer (R) and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, members of the main crew of the 51/52 expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), wave at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur, prior to blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 20, 2017. read more