- Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and naval aviator. He was the first human being to set foot on an extraterrestrial world (The Moon). His first spaceflight was "Gemini 8" in 1966, for which he was the command pilot. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft together with pilot David Scott.
- John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn Jr. (born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio) is an American astronaut, Marine Corps fighter pilot, ordained Presbyterian elder, corporate executive, and politician. He was the third American to fly in space and the first American to orbit the Earth, aboard Friendship 7. He is the oldest living person to have flown in space when, at the age of 77 in 1998, flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-95.
- Lisa Nowak
Lisa Marie Nowak (née Caputo, is a United States Naval officer and a former NASA astronaut. She was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics. Nowak flew aboard the Space Shuttle during mission STS-121 in July 2006. She was responsible for operating the robotic arms of the shuttle and the International Space Station. On February 5, 2007, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Florida, …
- Edgar Mitchell
Edgar Dean Mitchell, Sc.D. (born September 17, 1930) was the sixth man to walk on the Moon. He did this with Alan Shepard as part of the Apollo 14 mission on February 9 1971. The mission was NASA's third manned Moon landing. Mitchell was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He obtained a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. He also has two Bachelor of Science degrees, …
- Thomas Reiter
Thomas Arthur Reiter (born May 23 1958 in Frankfurt, Germany) is an astronaut with the European Space Agency and is a colonel ("Oberst") in the Luftwaffe. As of 2006, he was one of the top 50 astronauts in terms of total time in space. He lives in Rastede (near Oldenburg) in Lower Saxony. In 1982, Reiter received his diploma in astronautics from the University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Munich. He completed his training as a pilot in Germany and Texas.
- Barbara Morgan
Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is the first NASA astronaut designated as an Educator Mission Specialist or "teacher in space", and is scheduled to fly on STS-118. Morgan initially trained as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the ill-fated STS-51-L mission of Space Shuttle Challenger and has remained involved in the space program since.
- Clayton Anderson
Clayton Conrad Anderson (born February 23, 1959 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007 as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew
- Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998) (Rear Admiral, USN, Ret.) was the second person and the first American astronaut in space. He later commanded the Apollo 14 mission, and was the fifth man to walk on the moon.
- Christer Fuglesang
Arne Christer Fuglesang (born March 18, 1957) is a Swedish scientist and an ESA astronaut. He was launched aboard the STS-116 Shuttle mission on 10 December, 2006, at 01:47 GMT, making him the first Swede and the first Nordic citizen in space.
- Sally Ride
Sally Kristen Ride (born May 26 1951) is an American former astronaut who in 1983 became the first American woman to reach outer space. She was preceded by two Soviet women, Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982). She was also the youngest American to enter outer space. She was married for a time to NASA Astronaut Steve Hawley. Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles, the oldest child of Dale and Joyce Ride.
- Christa McAuliffe
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, better known simply as Christa McAuliffe, and prior to her marriage, Christa Corrigan, was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who was selected from among more than 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space. She died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Peggy Whitson
Peggy Annette Whitson (born 9 February 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher and a NASA astronaut. Her experience with NASA includes an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a member of Expedition 5, and she is scheduled to be commander of ISS Expedition 16. She will be the first woman to command an ISS Expedition. In addition, if the STS-120 mission, which will be commanded by female astronaut Pam Melroy, launches on schedule, …
- Michael Collins
Major General Michael Collins (born October 31, 1930) 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", when he and command pilot John W. Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins undertook two EVAs. His second spaceflight was "Apollo 11" where he served as the command module pilot.
- Rusty Schweickart
Russell Louis "Rusty" Schweickart (born October 25, 1935) is an American astronaut. Schweickart was born in Neptune, New Jersey. He earned an S.B. and an S.M. in Aeronautics/Astronautics from MIT in 1956 and 1963 respectively.
- Sunita Williams
Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams (born September 19 1965 in Euclid, Ohio) is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. Williams is the second woman of Indian heritage to have been selected by NASA for a space mission after Kalpana Chawla and the second astronaut of Slovenian heritage after Ronald M. Sega.
- Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. was an American astronaut. He was one of the original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned-space effort by the United States.
- Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon (June 20 1954 - February 1 2003;) was a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of "Columbia", where he and the other crew were killed in a re-entry accident over Texas. Ramon is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was a United States Air Force pilot and a NASA astronaut. A native of Mitchell, Indiana, he was the second American to fly in space and the first person to fly in space twice. He was killed during a training exercise for the Apollo One mission on January 27, 1967, at Launch Complex 34 at Cape Kennedy, along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
- John Young
John Watts Young (born September 24, 1930) is a former NASA astronaut who walked on the Moon on April 21, 1972 during the Apollo 16 mission. Young enjoyed one of the longest and busiest careers of any astronaut in the American space program. He was the first person to fly into space six times, twice journeyed to the Moon, and as of 2007, …
- Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla (Punjabi:ਕਲਪਨਾ ਚਾਵਲਾ) (7 March 1962 – 1 February 2003), was an Indian-born American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist. She was one of seven crewmembers lost aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-107 when the shuttle disintegrated upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Kalpana Chawla is a posthumous recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- Jim Lovell
James 'Jim' Arthur Lovell, Jr., Captain, USN, Ret. (born March 25, 1928) is a former NASA astronaut, most famous as the commander of Apollo 13, which suffered an explosion enroute to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. Lovell was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit.
- Hans Schlegel
Hans Wilhelm Schlegel (born 3 August 1951) is a German physicst, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of one NASA Space Shuttle mission. Schlegel, born and raised in Germany, graduated as an international exchange student from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa before studying physics at the University of Aachen in his home country. He conducted research in semiconductor physics before being trained as an astronaut in the late 1980s.
- Eileen Collins
Eileen Marie Collins (b. 19 November, 1956 in Elmira, New York) is an American astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She retired on May 1, 2006 to pursue private interests.
- Garrett Reisman
Garrett Erin Reisman (born February 10, 1968 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and is currently scheduled to be a prime crew member for Expedition 16. Reisman is a 1986 graduate of Parsippany High School. Currently, Reisman is assigned asa a long duration crewmember on the International Space Station.
- Alan Bean
Captain Bean shows why as human beings from the Planet Earth we are the most extraordinary creatures in the universe. We are unique because as far as we know we are the only beings in the universe whose only limits are those we place on ourselves. As a NASA Astronaut, Bean learned that people did not have to be extra gifted or extra talented to do something great.
- Anousheh Ansari
Anousheh Ansari (born 12 September 1966) is the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, Inc. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. (TTI). The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X PRIZE. On September 18, 2006, just a few days after her 40th birthday, she became the first female and fourth overall space tourist, the first female Muslim, and first Iranian in space.
- Eugene Cernan
Eugene Andrew Cernan (born March 14, 1934) is a former American astronaut of Czech and Slovak ancestry. He has been into space three times: as co-pilot of Gemini 9A in June 1966; as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in May 1969; and as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972. In that final lunar landing mission, Cernan became "the last man on the moon" since he was the last to re-enter the Apollo Lunar Module during its third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
- Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter is a retired American Naval officer and was one of the original seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury. Created by the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Project Mercury was the United States' answer to the Soviet Union's space program. This rivalry eventually became the space race — a contest between the two superpowers to land the first men on the moon and return them safely to earth.
- Pete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. (June 2, 1930 - July 8, 1999), was an American astronaut and the third man to walk on the moon. He served on Gemini 5 and 11, Apollo 12, and Skylab 2 missions, and may have been scheduled for the Apollo 20 mission, which was cancelled.
- Michael Lopez-Alegria
Miguel Eladio "LA" López-Alegría is an American astronaut and a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. Miguel López-Alegría, born in Madrid (Spain) and raised in Mission Viejo, California, joined the United States Navy and earned engineering degrees in 1980 and 1988 from the Naval Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School.
- Michael Foale
Colin Michael 'Mike' Foale, CBE, PhD, (born 6 January 1957) is an Anglo-American astrophysicist and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space shuttle missions and extended stays on both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the first Briton to perform a space walk, and holds the record for most time spent in space by a UK and US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes. Born in Louth and raised in Cambridge, Foale was educated at The King's School, …
- Leroy Chiao
Dr. Leroy Chiao, Ph.D. (born August 28, 1960) is a former American NASA astronaut who was stationed on board the International Space Station between 2004 and 2005.
- Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. (March 12, 1923 - May 3, 2007) was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's first effort to put men in space. He was the only man to fly in all of America's first three space programs (Mercury, Gemini and Apollo). He logged a total of 295 hours and 15 minutes in space.
- Story Musgrave
Franklin Story Musgrave (born August 19, 1935) is a retired NASA Astronaut. He is now a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but considers Lexington, Kentucky to be his hometown. He has six children, one deceased. His hobbies are chess, flying, gardening, literary criticism, microcomputers, parachuting, photography, reading, running, scuba diving and soaring.
- Shannon Lucid
Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American astronaut who previously held the record for the longest duration stay in space by a woman. She has flown in space five times including a prolonged mission aboard the Mir space station. Lucid was born in Shanghai, China, to Baptist missionary parents Oscar and Myrtle Wells, but grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket, although he himself opposes being called "tourist" and asks to be called an "independent researcher" since he performed several scientific experiments in orbit. Tito has a Bachelor of Science in Astronautics and Aeronautics from New York University, …
- Mae Jemison
Essence Award, Essence magazine, 1988; named Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year,1990; honorary doctorate, Lincoln University 1991; Ebony Black Achievement Award, 1992; an alternative public school in Detroit was named The Mae C. Jemison Academy, 1992; Alpha Kappa Alpha, honorary member. By the time she was thirty-one, Mae Jemison had received a double major in Chemical Engineering and African-American studies and had served as a doctor in the Peace Corps in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
- Harrison Schmitt
Dr. Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is a retired geologist, astronaut and former U.S. senator from New Mexico. He is the twelfth and one of the last two people to walk on the moon. Harrison Schmitt is also credited with taking the photograph of the earth called "Blue Moon".
- Mark Shuttleworth
Mark Richard Shuttleworth (born 18 September 1973) is a South African entrepreneur who was the second self-funded space tourist and first African national in space. He is now best known for his leadership of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. He currently lives in London and holds dual citizenship of South Africa and the United Kingdom
- Frank Borman
Frank Borman retired from the Air Force in 1970, but is well remembered as a part of this nation's history, a pioneer in the exploration of space and veteran of both the Gemini 7, 1965 Space Orbital Rendezvous with Gemini 6 and the first manned lunar orbital mission, Apollo 8, in 1968. Borman's retirement from the Air Force in 1970 did not end his aviation career.