Timeline of space travel by nationality
Since the first
Marina Vasilevskaya
for Belarus in 2024). Only three nations (Soviet Union/Russia, U.S., China) have launched their own crewed spacecraft, with the Soviets/Russians and the American programs providing rides to other nations' astronauts. Twenty-eight "first flights" occurred on Soviet or Russian flights while the United States carried eighteen.
Timeline
Note: All dates given are UTC. Countries indicated in bold have achieved independent human spaceflight capability.
Notes
- ^ Russian citizens. Aleksandr Kaleri and Aleksandr Viktorenko were the first Russians to be launched into orbit as Russian citizens only, their launch having occurred subsequent to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
- ^ a b Shepard's spaceflight was suborbital. The first American to be launched into Earth orbit was John Glenn, on 20 February 1962.
- ^ German Democratic Republic pronounced him the "first German in space", rather than the first "citizen of the German Democratic Republic in space". In 1990, the states of the former East Germany acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. On 22 January 1992, Ulf Merbold again traveled into space, now representing the reunited Germany within the Federal Republic of Germany. Jähn is, nevertheless, still considered the first German in space, even in the states of the Federal Republic of Germany that comprised the former West Germany.
- ^ space tourists.
- ^ a b In 1993, Czechoslovakia dissolved and was replaced by the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- ^ a b Ilan Ramon was the first Israeli to go into space, but Ramon died during reentry during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. His close friend and colleague, Eytan Stibbe, would later become the first Israeli to return from space alive, with the conclusion of Axiom-1 in 2022.
- ^ a b Although recognized as an Iranian citizen by Iranian law, Ansari is also an American citizen and was prohibited from wearing Iranian state symbols by both the United States and Russian governments.
- ^ a b c d e f This flight was suborbital.
- ^ a b c This was a suborbital flight aboard a SpaceShipTwo vehicle. SpaceShipTwo flights surpass the U.S. definition of spaceflight (50 mi (80.47 km)), but fall short of the Kármán line (100 km (62.14 mi)), the FAI definition used for most space recordkeeping.
Other claims
The above list uses the nationality at the time of launch. Lists with differing criteria might include the following people:
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- Michael Collins, first launched 18 July 1966 was born in Italy to American parents and was an American citizen when he went into space.
- William Anders, American citizen, first launched 21 December 1968, was the first Hong Kong-born man in space.
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- 5 Civilized Tribes Hall of Fame can lay claim to being the first Native American in space. See John Herringtonbelow regarding technicality of tribal registration.
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- Paul D. Scully-Power, first launched 5 October 1984, was born in Australia, but was an American citizen when he went into space; Australian law at the time forbade dual-citizenship.
- Taylor Gun-Jin Wang, first launched 29 April 1985, was born in China to Chinese parents, but was an American citizen when he went into space.
- Lodewijk van den Berg, launched 29 April 1985, was born in the Netherlands, but was an American citizen when he went into space.
- Cameroun (now part of Cameroon), but was a French citizen when he went into space.
- Shannon Lucid, first launched 17 June 1985, was born in China to American parents of European descent, and was an American citizen when she went into space.
- Franklin Chang-Diaz, first launched 12 January 1986, was born in Costa Rica, but was an American citizen when he went into space[5]
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev and Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Volkovbecame Russian rather than Soviet citizens while still in orbit aboard Mir, making them the first purely Russian citizens in space.
- James H. Newman, American citizen, first launched 12 September 1993, was born in the portion of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands that is now the Federated States of Micronesia.
- Talgat Musabayev, first launched 1 July 1994, was born in the Kazakh SSR and is known in Kazakhstan as the "first cosmonaut of independent Kazakhstan",[6] but was a Russian citizen when he went into space.[7]
- Frederick W. Leslie, American citizen, launched 20 October 1995, was born in Panama Canal Zone (now Panama).
- Paul D. Scully-Powerwas an American citizen when he went to space; Australian law at the time forbade dual-citizenship.
- Carlos I. Noriega, first launched 15 May 1997, was born in Peru, but was an American citizen when he went into space.
- Bjarni Tryggvason, launched 7 August 1997, was born in Iceland, but was a Canadian citizen when he went into space.
- Kirghiz SSR), but was a Russian citizen when he went into space. Sharipov is of Uzbekancestry.
- Philippe Perrin, first launched 5 June 2002, was born in Morocco, but was a French citizen when he went into space.
- John Herrington, an American citizen first launched 24 November 2002, is the first tribal registered Native American in space (Chickasaw). See also Bill Pogue above.
- Pontian Greekdescent.
- Fernando Caldeiro, first launched January 2006, was born in Argentina, but worked under NASA as an American citizen.
- Joseph M. Acaba, first launched 15 March 2009, was born in the U.S. state of California to American parents of Puerto Rican descent.
Gallery
-
The Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space (1961)
-
Alan Shepard from the United States of America, the second nation to send a person into space (1961)
-
Vladimír Remek of Czechoslovakia, the first Czechoslovak national in space (1978)
-
Mirosław Hermaszewski of Poland, the first Polish national in space (1978)
-
Sigmund Jähn of East Germany, the first German in space (1978)
-
Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space (1984)
-
Helen Sharman, the first person from the United Kingdom in space (1991)
-
Yang Liwei of China, the third nation to launch a person into space (2003)
-
lusophonein space (2006)
References
- ^ a b "BBC News - Sci/Tech - Expensive ticket to ride". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "BBC News - SCI/TECH - Space tourist lifts off". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "BBC NEWS - Science/Nature - Lift-off for woman space tourist". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "'It's not tourism for me': Meet Australia's next space traveller". smh.com.au. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ MAN IN THE NEWS: FRANKLIN R. CHANG-DIAZ; A DREAMER IN SPACE, Malcolm W. Browne, The New York Times, January 13, 1986
- ^ "КАЗКОСМОС | Мусабаев Талгат Амангельдиевич". Archived from the original on 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ^ Bukharbayeva, Bagila (20 June 2004). "Kazakhstan Gets a Bigger Say in Space Launch Site". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
External links
- Current Space Demographics, compiled by William Harwood, CBS News Space Consultant, and Rob Navias, NASA.