May 17, 2023 – Theme Week Day 3

We’re halfway through our theme week on Word Origins and today we’re talking about the word Astronaut. It comes from Ancient Greek, and literally translates to “star sailor”. But the word actually pre-dates the profession! The first instance of the word “astronaut” in the English language was in an 1880 science fiction book called Across the Zodiac, and it referred to a spaceship not a person! The first NASA astronauts were selected for training in 1959. Initially, military jet test piloting and engineering training were cited as prerequisites for selection. Today, NASA’s candidacy requirements include a master’s degree in a STEM field, and least 2 years of post-graduate professional experience or 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time on a jet aircraft. The grueling training includes everything from classroom learning to military survival exercises. Since 1961, 600 astronauts have flown in space. The youngest person to reach space was an 18 year old Dutch space tourist, and the oldest is William Shatner, who made a suborbital spaceflight in 2021 at the age of 90. Learn more here.