A

Cosmonauts

Cosmonauts are the Russian counterparts to American astronauts. During the early years of the "space race" between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, it was the Soviet Union who took the lead. Cosmonauts achieved the records for sending the first human into space, the first space walk, and the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, was honored by the Soviet Union as a hero, and a cosmonaut training center was named after him.

The first cosmonauts underwent similar training, as well as scrutiny, that American astronauts endured. Tests were conducted on everything from stamina to eyesight. Each candidate was required to be in good physical and mental condition. Training itself was strenuous, including simulators for zero-g and spacecraft controls.

Just as many astronauts were selected from the military, most of the early cosmonauts were selected from the Russian Air Force. The first twenty cosmonauts were male and were jet pilots who had passed rigorous medical tests. Later, five female parachutists who passed the same medical tests were admitted to cosmonaut training.

Training programs in the United States and Russia simulate microgravity environments, thrust felt during liftoff, and working in space. Astronauts and cosmonauts both train under water, and train on planes flying parabolas to experience weightlessness. But even though the basic engineering concepts are similar, technology varies. This was apparent when the historical docking and handshake occurred between the astronauts and cosmonauts on an Apollo and a Soyuz spacecraft.

Cosmonaut training before the mission occurs at the Baikonur launch site. Here, cosmonauts perform their final test runs and prepare themselves in simulators. After the training is complete, the cosmonauts will launch inside on a Soyuz spacecraft. These spacecraft are similar to the module-style spacecraft that the United States used during the Apollo space missions. Originally, the destination of the Soyuz transport vehicles was the Mir space station. Soyuz modules are now used for transporting people and equipment to the International Space Station (ISS).

As Russia began to have more problems funding their ISS participation, the first space tourists have been paying millions of dollars and receiving cosmonaut training to visit the ISS. By paying the Russian Space Agency a reported $20 million, American Dennis Tito was able to take a Soyuz spacecraft up to visit the ISS in April, 2001. South African Mark Shuttleworth became the second cosmonaut tourist to visit the ISS the following year.