Astronaut ranks and positions
Encyclopedia
Astronaut
s hold a variety of ranks and positions, and each of these roles carries unique responsibilities that are integral to the successful operation of a spacecraft. A spacecraft's cockpit, filled with sophisticated equipment, requires skills differing from those used to manage the scientific equipment on board, and so on.
hold one of two ranks. Astronaut Candidate is the rank of those training to be NASA astronauts.
Upon graduation, candidates are promoted to Astronaut and receive their Astronaut Pin
. The pin is issued in two grades, silver and gold, with the silver pin awarded to candidates who have successfully completed astronaut training and the gold pin to astronauts who have flown in space.
Chief of the Astronaut Office
is a position, not a rank.
Higher ranks include pilot-cosmonaut, test-cosmonaut instructor, and research-cosmonaut instructor.http://suzymchale.com/kosmonavtka/costrivia.html
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
is a title that is presented to all cosmonauts who fly for the Russian space program.
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s hold a variety of ranks and positions, and each of these roles carries unique responsibilities that are integral to the successful operation of a spacecraft. A spacecraft's cockpit, filled with sophisticated equipment, requires skills differing from those used to manage the scientific equipment on board, and so on.
Ranks
Members of the NASA Astronaut CorpsNASA Astronaut Corps
The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions.-History:...
hold one of two ranks. Astronaut Candidate is the rank of those training to be NASA astronauts.
Upon graduation, candidates are promoted to Astronaut and receive their Astronaut Pin
Astronaut Badge
The Astronaut Badge is a badge of the United States, awarded to military and civilian pilots who have completed training and performed a successful spaceflight...
. The pin is issued in two grades, silver and gold, with the silver pin awarded to candidates who have successfully completed astronaut training and the gold pin to astronauts who have flown in space.
Chief of the Astronaut Office
Chief of the Astronaut Office
The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration...
is a position, not a rank.
Positions
| Position | Duties | Examples | Comments |
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| Mercury Project Mercury In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,... |
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| Pilot | Overall mission success | Mercury Seven Mercury Seven Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA on April 9, 1959. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1... |
As a single-seat spacecraft, the astronauts who flew the Mercury missions were referred to simply as "Pilots". Mercury Pilots were required to have experience as a pilot of high-performance jet aircraft and to be no more than 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) tall and weigh no more than 180 pounds (82 kg). |
| Gemini Project Gemini Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966.... |
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| Command Pilot | Overall mission success, safety of crew and spacecraft | James McDivitt James McDivitt James Alton McDivitt is a former NASA astronaut and engineer who flew in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He commanded the Gemini 4 flight in which Edward H. White performed the first US space walk, and later the Apollo 9 flight which was the first manned Earth orbital test of the Apollo Lunar... |
McDivitt was the first rookie Command Pilot. |
| Pilot | Edward White Edward Higgins White Edward Higgins White, II was an engineer, United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. On June 3, 1965, he became the first American to "walk" in space. White died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the first manned Apollo mission at... |
White was the first American who made an EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity). | |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and spacecraft | Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon.... , first man on the Moon Jim Lovell Jim Lovell James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission... , commander of Apollo 13 Apollo 13 Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 CST. The landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the service module upon which the Command... |
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| Command Module Pilot | Oversee command module functions during lunar excursion | Michael Collins Michael Collins (astronaut) Michael Collins is a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins... , Richard Gordon |
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| Lunar Module Pilot | Responsible for descent and ascent of the Lunar Module | Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history... , second man on the moon |
Aldrin was the first "Doctor of Philosophy" in Space |
| Docking Module Pilot | Deke Slayton Deke Slayton Donald Kent Slayton , better known as Deke Slayton, was an American World War II pilot and later, one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts.... , Mercury 7 astronaut |
Position only used once during Apollo-Soyuz joint mission | |
| Skylab Skylab Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of... |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and spacecraft | Pete Conrad Pete Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was an American naval officer, astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with command pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission... , first Skylab commander |
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| Pilot | Paul J. Weitz Paul J. Weitz Paul Joseph Weitz is an American former astronaut who flew in space twice.-Personal data:Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 1932. Married to the former Suzanne M. Berry of Harborcreek, Pennsylvania. Two children: Matthew and Cynthia. Hunting and fishing are among his hobbies. His mother, Mrs... |
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| Science Pilot | Joseph P. Kerwin Joseph P. Kerwin Joseph Peter Kerwin, M.D. is an American physician and former NASA astronaut. Kerwin was the first physician to be selected for astronaut training.... , first physician in space |
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| Space Shuttle Space Shuttle program NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011... |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and Shuttle, maneuvers Shuttle with assistance from Pilot. | John Young, commander of the first shuttle mission | All Shuttle commanders have prior spaceflight experience. Requires a degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics. Must have at least 1000 hours flying experience on a jet aircraft Jet aircraft A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft... . Must pass a NASA Class I space physical to be certified for flight. |
| Pilot | Assist the Commander in maneuvering the Shuttle. May be responsible for release and recovery of satellites. | Robert Crippen Robert Crippen Robert Laurel Crippen is an engineer, retired United States Navy Captain and a former NASA astronaut. He flew on four Space Shuttle missions, including three as commander... , flew the first shuttle mission as pilot |
Same education and flight experience requirements as a Commander, but does not need prior spaceflight experience. |
| Payload Commander (PLC) | A Mission Specialist with additional responsibility for the management of the science or other major payload elements of the mission. | Story Musgrave Story Musgrave Franklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:... , Michael P. Anderson |
Payload Commanders are always NASA astronauts. |
| Mission Specialist Mission Specialist A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests.... (MS) |
A NASA astronaut assigned to a Shuttle crew with mission-specific duties. | Jerry L. Ross Jerry L. Ross Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children... and Franklin Chang-Diaz each flew seven times as Shuttle Mission Specialists. |
Must pass a NASA Class II space physical to be certified for flight. |
| Flight Engineer | A Mission Specialist with additional responsibility of assisting the Pilot and Commander. The FE also keeps track of information from CAPCOM and calls out milestones. | Story Musgrave Story Musgrave Franklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:... , Michael P. Anderson |
The FE is always Mission Specialist 2 and sits in the S4 seat on the Shuttle flight deck. |
| International Mission Specialist | Same as Mission Specialist but may have payload-specific duties assigned by home agency. | Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
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| Educator Mission Specialist Educator Astronaut Project The Educator Astronaut Project is a NASA program designed to educate students and spur excitement in math, science, and space exploration. It is a successor to the Teacher in Space Project of the 1980s that was cancelled after Christa McAuliffe died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster... |
Same as Mission Specialist but with additional education-related duties. | Joseph M. Acaba Joseph M. Acaba Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19... , first Puerto Rican astronaut |
Position created in 2004 as part of the Educator Astronaut Project Educator Astronaut Project The Educator Astronaut Project is a NASA program designed to educate students and spur excitement in math, science, and space exploration. It is a successor to the Teacher in Space Project of the 1980s that was cancelled after Christa McAuliffe died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster... . |
| Payload Specialist Payload Specialist A Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission... |
Technical experts who accompany specific payloads such as a commercial or scientific satellites. |
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Payload Specialists are non-NASA personnel. The term is also applied to representatives from partner nations such as Saudi Arabia and Mexico who were given the opportunity to fly on the Space Shuttle. |
| USAF Manned Spaceflight Engineer Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program The Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program was an effort by the United States Air Force to train American military personnel as payload specialists for Department of Defense missions on the Space Shuttle program.-Background:... |
Same as Payload Specialist, but are military personnel who accompany military payloads. | Gary Payton Gary Payton (astronaut) Colonel Gary Eugene Payton, USAF, is a former American astronaut.-Education:Payton graduated from high school in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1966. He went on to attended Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois... |
Payton and William A. Pailes William A. Pailes William Arthur Pailes was a USAF astronaut in the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program during the mid-1980s. He served as a Payload Specialist on STS-51-J Atlantis .-Personal:... were the only Manned Spaceflight Engineers to fly before the program's termination in 1988. |
| Spaceflight Participant Spaceflight participant Spaceflight participant is the term used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian Federal Space Agency for people who travel aboard space missions coordinated by those agencies who are not part of the crew... |
People who travel aboard space missions coordinated by those agencies who are not part of the crew. |
Christa McAuliffe Christa McAuliffe Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, and was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.... , Teacher in Space, Space Shuttle Challenger disaster |
This term serves to distinguish tourists and other special travelers from the career astronaut Astronaut An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... s. |
Ranks
Russian astronauts are called cosmonauts. After initial training, cosmonauts are assigned as either a test-cosmonaut (космонавт-испытатель, kosmonavt-ispytatel’) or a research-cosmonaut (космонавт-исследователь, kosmonavt-issledovatel’). A test-cosmonaut has a more difficult preparation than a research-cosmonaut and can be the commander or the flight engineer of a spacecraft, while a research-cosmonaut cannot.http://suzymchale.com/kosmonavtka/traingen.htmlHigher ranks include pilot-cosmonaut, test-cosmonaut instructor, and research-cosmonaut instructor.http://suzymchale.com/kosmonavtka/costrivia.html
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation is a title that is presented to all cosmonauts who fly for the Russian Federal Space Agency. Usually accompanying the distinction is the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, the highest title that can be awarded to a Russian for performing heroic deeds...
is a title that is presented to all cosmonauts who fly for the Russian space program.
Positions
| Position | Duties | Examples | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vostok Vostok programme The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design... |
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| Pilot Cosmonaut | Overall mission success | Yuri Gagarin Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961.... , first man in space |
As a single-seat spacecraft, the cosmonaut who flew the Vostok Vostok programme The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design... missions were referred to simply as "Pilot Cosmonauts". |
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| Voskhod Voskhod programme The Voskhod programme was the second Soviet human spaceflight project. Two manned missions were flown using the Voskhod spacecraft and rocket, one in 1964 and one in 1965.... |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and spacecraft | Vladimir Komarov Vladimir Komarov Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov was a Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer and cosmonaut in the first group of cosmonauts selected in 1960. He was one of the most highly experienced and well-qualified candidates accepted into "Air Force Group One".... , commanded the first multi-person flight |
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| Second Pilot | Alexey Leonov, the first spacewalker in history |
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| Scientist Cosmonaut | Konstantin Feoktistov Konstantin Feoktistov Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov was a Soviet cosmonaut and an eminent space engineer. Feoktistov also wrote several books on space technology and exploration... , the first engineer in space |
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| Doctor Cosmonaut | Boris Yegorov Boris Yegorov Boris Borisovich Yegorov was a Soviet physician-cosmonaut and he became the first physician to make a space flight.Yegorov came from a medical background, with his father a prominent heart surgeon, and his mother an ophthalmologist. He also selected medicine as a career and graduated from the... , first doctor in space |
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| Soyuz Soyuz programme The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme that was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon... |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and spacecraft | Vladimir Dzhanibekov Vladimir Dzhanibekov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov is a former cosmonaut who made five flights.He was born in the remote area of Iskandar in Tashkent Province, Uzbekistan. He changed his surname from Krysin when he married to honor his wife's family, which was noble kin of the descendants of the medieval Kazakh... , commander of missions to Salyut 6 Salyut 6 Salyut 6 , DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier... and Salyut 7 Salyut 7 Salyut 7 was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first manned in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last visited in June 1986, by Soyuz T-15. Various crew and modules were used over its lifetime, including a total of 12 manned and 15 unmanned launches... space stations |
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| Flight Engineer | Svetlana Savitskaya Svetlana Savitskaya Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya She started training as a cosmonaut in 1980. Upon returning to Earth, Savitskaya was assigned as the commander of an all-female Soyuz crew to Salyut 7 in commemoration of the International Women's Day, a mission that was later canceled.She was twice awarded the Hero... , first female spacewalker |
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| Spaceflight Participant Spaceflight participant Spaceflight participant is the term used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian Federal Space Agency for people who travel aboard space missions coordinated by those agencies who are not part of the crew... |
No official duties |
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Term used for Soyuz passengers who are not part of the crew, and serves to distinguish tourists and other special travelers from the career astronaut Astronaut An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... s. |
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International space station positions
| Position | Duties | Examples | Comments |
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| Commander | Overall mission success, safety of crew and Station ISS The ISS is the International Space Station.ISS may also refer to:* I See Stars, an American electronic rock band* ISS A/S, a Danish service company* Idea Star Singer, a Malayalam music reality show by Asianet TV... . |
Peggy Whitson Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female... , first female commander |
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| Flight Engineer | |||
| Science Officer | Primary responsibility for station's science experiments. A secondary position for an ISS Flight Engineer. | Peggy Whitson Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and NASA's Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female... , first science officer |
Position established in 2002 by NASA to reinforce science aspect of ISS. |
| Spaceflight Participant Spaceflight participant Spaceflight participant is the term used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian Federal Space Agency for people who travel aboard space missions coordinated by those agencies who are not part of the crew... |
No formal duties. | Anousheh Ansari Anousheh Ansari Anousheh Ansari is an engineer and the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. . The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006,... , first female space tourist |
Term used for ISS visitors who are not part of the crew, and serves to distinguish tourists and other special travelers from the career astronaut Astronaut An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... s. |