Famous Astronauts and Cosmonauts

Question: Who was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth?

Answer: In February 1962 he orbited Earth three times in some five hours aboard Friendship 7.

Question: Who commanded the ill-fated Challenger shuttle mission in 1986?

Answer: Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger exploded, killing all seven on board. The cause of the accident was later determined to be two rubber O-rings that lost resiliency because of the severe cold.

Question: Who commanded Apollo 13, which suffered a near-disastrous accident in 1970?

Answer: On April 13, 1970, two days after launch, an explosion ruptured an oxygen tank, causing a shortage of power and oxygen, but the crew safely returned to Earth on April 17. When reporting the incident, one of the astronauts said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” which later evolved into the often-used quote, “Houston, we have a problem.”

Question: What was the first animal launched into orbit?

Answer: Laika, a stray dog found in Moscow, was launched aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 in 1957 and reportedly died just hours into the voyage.

Question: Who was the first man in space?

Answer: In 1961 the Soviet cosmonaut became the first man to travel into space, orbiting Earth once.

Question: Who was the first woman in space?

Answer: In 1963 the Soviet cosmonaut completed 48 orbits in 71 hours.

Question: Who was the first African American launched into space?

Answer: In 1983 he served as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle orbiter Challenger.

Question: Who was the second U.S. astronaut to travel into space?

Answer: : In July 1961 he became the second American, after Alan Shepard, to travel into space. In 1967 he, along with Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee, became the first casualties of the U.S. space program, when a flash fire swept through the Apollo 1 spacecraft during a ground rehearsal.

Question: What was Buzz Aldrin’s first name at birth?

Answer: His childhood nickname was based on his sister’s mispronunciation of “brother” as “buzzer.” He later legally changed his name to Buzz.

Question: Who was the first woman to command a U.S. space shuttle?

Answer: In 1999 Collins commanded the Columbia, which deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory.