Many kids dream of becoming an astronaut, an unusual and exciting career.
Mankind's fascination with reaching the stars has led to many expeditions beyond Earth in the form of space missions, crewed by men, women and even animals, collectively known as astronauts. In the U.S., NASA is responsible for recruiting, training and launching these missions. Famous astronauts, such as Neil Armstrong, have become household names.
First Man in Space
The first human astronaut to reach space was Yuri Gagarin, a Russian fighter pilot, who made it off Earth on the April 12, 1961. Gagarin was part of a Soviet space program called Vostok 1 and saw off competition from other astronauts, such as a German Titov, to land the job. Gagarin's experiences led him to embark on a tour of several countries following his successful mission.
Female Astronauts
Not all astronauts have been men. The first female astronaut to enter space was Colonel-Engineer Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, a Russian cosmonaut, in June 1963, while the first American woman to go into space was Sally Ride in 1983. Dr. Mae Jemison was another important female astronaut, since she became the first African-American in space in June 1987.
Animal Astronauts
Russia became the first country to send an animal into space when Laika the dog was launched into orbit in 1957; Laika died from overheating, however. Other dogs were sent on space missions in later years, as well as animals like rats and mice. Ham the chimpanzee was the first monkey in space and was launched by the U.S. in 1961. Ham survived his experience, having spent around 16 minutes in orbit.
Food
The conditions of space travel have to be taken into account when it comes to what astronauts will eat on their journeys. According to the organization's website, NASA astronauts are given an allowance of 3.8 lbs. of food per day. This supply is entirely made up of processed food, so nothing can become rotten and the food remains quick to prepare; astronauts simply need to add water or heat the meal. Some astronauts do get a limited supply of fresh vegetables and fruit, but these spoil quickly.
NASA Training
All NASA astronauts go through an extensive training procedure before they can go on a space mission. Astronaut vacancies vary considerably in number, since NASA only recruits when astronauts are needed. To even have a shot at becoming an astronaut, an individual must already have recorded 1,000 hours or more of flight in a jet plane.
Space and the Body
Since space has no gravity, it can have a noticeable effect on the bodies of astronauts, which can be observed when these individuals return from space. For example, an astronaut can have grown as much as 2 inches while in space, thanks to the effect the lack of gravity has on the spine's cartilage disks.
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