difference between astronauts and cosmonauts
Answers
Answer:
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.
While the two terms may seem functionally equivalent, they differ slightly because of the different operational philosophies of the different space agencies. These different philosophies result in slightly different skill sets and knowledge areas.
But ultimately, the separation between the two terms is one of respect. The Russians have a long history of human spaceflight. They put the first human into space and hold the records for longest time in space for an individual, both mission and career cumulative. They also hold the record for a person with the most number of spacewalks. Every cosmonaut that is awarded the title of cosmonaut is taking on a mantle once worn by Yuri Gagarin. Asking them to give up that title just for conformity would be callous and disrespectful.
Note, just going into space does not mean someone acquires either title. The spaceflight participants that pay the Russians for a trip to space are not cosmonauts nor astronauts.
During the 1980s, NASA maintained three titles for people that flew on the Space Shuttle: Pilot Astronauts, Mission Specialist Astronauts, and Payload Specialists. The Payload Specialists did not undergo full astronaut training and thus did not achieve the title of Astronaut.
Astronaut and cosmonaut are job titles and achievements.
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