Cosmonauts are Soviet/Russian astronauts trained to serve in spacecraft, with different roles in space combat. The Soviet program took an early lead in the space race, with Yuri Gagarin being the first man to orbit the Earth. The United States won by being the first to land and walk on the moon. The early Soviet program was secretive and reckless, with some cosmonauts considered expendable. The end of the Cold War brought a new era of cooperation, with joint missions and shared information. Modern cosmonauts are associated with the Federal Space Agency of Russia or the National Space Agency of Ukraine.
Cosmonaut is the Soviet/Russian term for astronaut. The strictest definition of both, as the words are synonymous, is a person trained by a spaceflight program to serve in a spacecraft. The cosmonaut can take on different roles in space combat. They can command a mission, pilot the spacecraft, or serve as crew members. With the growth of space tourism, it is often necessary to distinguish between cosmonaut and space tourist. People who just fly on a shuttle mission, who are just there to travel, aren’t considered astronauts or cosmonauts.
The reason Americans are so familiar with the term cosmonaut is due to the Soviet/American space race, an effort by both countries during the Cold War to be the first to explore space, land on the moon, and make new discoveries about space travel. Initially the Soviet program took an early lead. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man to orbit the Earth and go into space in 1961. In the same year, the USSR scored another early victory when cosmonaut Gherman Titov spent more than a day in space.
American astronauts, at least from an American perspective, “won” the race by being the first to land and walk on the moon. However, many consider early Soviet victories equally important. For example in 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, was the first woman in space. The United States would not send a woman into space, Sally Ride, until 20 years later, in 1983.
The early Soviet space program featured a significant amount of secrecy, including cover-ups when people were killed or injured. They were more reckless and some of the cosmonauts were considered more or less expendable. Victory in space and beating the United States was a powerful motivation, but it also drove both the United States and the USSR to be highly secretive in their operations.
As the end of the Cold War dawned, a new, much more cooperative era had begun. For the first time, the United States and the USSR worked together, shared at least some information and even planned joint missions. Exploring space, as a cosmonaut or astronaut, and understanding the mechanics of spaceflight have enabled both countries to reap significant benefits.
Speculations about early US failures were largely answered when President Gorbachev declassified much of the information about the Soviet program. For the first time, the world learned about the deaths of cosmonauts who had not really been known and about the accidents. In communist Russia, admitting these defeats would have been like admitting the failure of the space race.
Just like American astronauts, past and present cosmonauts are intelligent, extremely brave, and gifted. The modern cosmonaut tends to be associated with either the Federal Space Agency of Russia or the National Space Agency of Ukraine. The emphasis in space travel is on learning more, sharing that information, and hopefully benefiting the lives and careers of future cosmonauts.
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