Astronauts.

To see our full collection of
Astronaut pictures:

An astronaut is anyone who has traveled in space, or more officially, anyone who has traveled over fifty miles above the surface of the earth, the limit of space set by the US government. Over four hundred individuals from thirty-two countries have spent nearly thirty thousand crew-days in space and a hundred hours walking in space. Space travelers from the US and UK are called astronauts, from Russia they are cosmonauts, from continental Europe spationauts, and in China they are called taikonauts. In April of 1961, Soviet engineers launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit aboard the Vostok One, making him the first human being in space. Two years later, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. These important expeditions to the frontiers of space have been extensively recorded by the space programs of both the US and Russia. As a result, a plethora of astronaut pictures is available to commemorate the long saga of humans in space.

On this site, we have a large collection of astronaut pictures and pictures of figures influential in the space program. Among the pictures of vicarious astronauts, we have President Kennedy speaking at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and President Nixon posing for a shot with the Apollo Eleven astronauts. Both Presidents contributed great support for the space program as it embodied a sort of non-militaristic competition with the Soviet Union. We also have various pictures of Robert Goddard, not an astronaut but influential in the development of space-travel technology, and Mission Control in Houston, the group of men behind the scenes of every space mission. The picture of astronaut Alan Shepard, standing next to the US flag on the Fra Mauro highlands, shows an interesting picture of the first American in space taking a walk on the moon late in the Apollo Program. Another astronaut picture to bridge the duration of the US space program is Gene Cernan saluting the flag. Cernan, one of the first astronauts to walk in space, was the last man to set foot on the moon during the Apollo 17 Mission.

We also have a picture of astronaut John Glenn, the first astronaut to orbit the earth, returning to space at age 77, making him the oldest astronaut to travel into space. We also have a picture of this astronaut as he prepared for his Mercury flight in 1962. These astronaut pictures are important in that they commemorate the great feats of bravery and sacrifice of all those who have traveled into space. Eighteen astronauts have been killed in space missions and training. If not for them, space travel would not have progressed to where it is today. Our pictures of astronauts define an interesting and dramatic period of American history.


James Webb©2005