Space
Astronauts and space explorers.
People in Space
37 profiles
AstronautNeil Armstrong
Becoming the first person to walk on the Moon.
Space scientistVikram Sarabhai
Founding India’s space programme with a focus on everyday needs.
Space scientistKrishnaswamy Kasturirangan
Leading ISRO as India’s satellite-launch capabilities expanded.
Space engineerMylswamy Annadurai
Leading Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon.
AstronautYuri Gagarin
Becoming the first human to travel into space.
AstronautMae Jemison
Becoming the first Black woman to travel into space.
AstronautKalpana Chawla
Becoming the first woman of Indian origin to travel into space.
AstronautValentina Tereshkova
Becoming the first woman in space on Vostok 6 in 1963.
AstronautYang Liwei
Becoming the first astronaut launched into space by China.
AstronautArnaldo Tamayo Méndez
Becoming the first Latin American and first person of African descent to reach space.
AstronautSunita Williams
Serving on long space-station missions and commanding the International Space Station.
AstronautRakesh Sharma
Becoming the first Indian to travel into space.
AstronautTatyana Kuznetsova
Joining the Soviet Union’s first group of women cosmonaut trainees.
AstronautMaryna Vasileuskaya
Becoming the first Belarusian woman in space.
AstronautSara Sabry
Becoming the first Egyptian to travel to space.
AstronautSvetlana Savitskaya
Becoming the first woman to perform a spacewalk.
AstronautRayyanah Barnawi
Becoming the first Saudi woman to travel to space.
AstronautAnna Kikina
Becoming the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon.
AstronautSara García Alonso
Joining ESA’s astronaut reserve while researching cancer.
AstronautYelena Kondakova
Becoming the first woman to complete a long-duration spaceflight.
AstronautNora Al Matrooshi
Becoming the first Emirati woman selected and trained as an astronaut.
AstronautYi So-yeon
Becoming the first South Korean to travel into space.
AstronautNadezhda Kuzhelnaya
Training as a Russian cosmonaut before becoming an airline pilot.
AstronautZhanna Yorkina
Joining the Soviet Union’s first group of women cosmonaut trainees.
AstronautValentina Ponomaryova
Training in the first Soviet women’s cosmonaut group.
AstronautAnousheh Ansari
Becoming the first self-funded woman to visit the International Space Station.
AstronautYelena Serova
A long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station
AstronautHelen Sharman
Becoming the first British person in space
AstronautPatricia Robertson
Physician and NASA astronaut selected in 1998
AstronautKathleen Rubins
Space-station missions and microbiology research.
AstronautRenate Brümmer
Training for Germany’s Spacelab programme and researching satellite meteorology.
AstronautChiaki Mukai
Becoming the first Japanese woman in space.
AstronautNaoko Yamazaki
Space Shuttle work on the International Space Station.
AstronautJulie Payette
Two space-shuttle missions and service as Canada’s governor general.
AstronautSamantha Cristoforetti
Becoming Italy’s first woman in space.
AstronautClaudie Haigneré
Becoming the first French woman in space.
AstronautJenni Gibbons
Canadian astronaut and combustion researcher