The word "astronaut" means star sailor. It comes from the Greek language. Alan Shepard was the first American to go into space. John Glenn was the first astronaut to orbit the earth in 1962. Russia sent the first women into space. Alexei Leonov was the first person to take a space walk. He was from Russia, and he did this in 1965. Edward White was the first American to walk in space. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first men to walk on the moon. The first words spoken on the moon were said by Neil Armstrong:  "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into space in 1983.

Astronauts have to eat special food and drink while in space, because things might float away because there is no gravity. John Young didn't like space food very much, and he hid a corned beef sandwich in his space suit. Astronauts spend their time working while they are in space. They collect information and do experiments. When astronauts sleep, they are strapped into sleeping bags so they don't float around while they sleep.

American astronauts work for NASA, which stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Many astronauts have died while on missions. It is dangerous work. People have to go through a lot of training to become astronauts.

Think about it:  Imagine that you are an astronaut and you are on the moon. What special equipment will you have to use to breathe? What things can you bring back with you from the moon? What information will you need to tell NASA about the moon?

To learn more about astronauts, visit this site:  http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Pioneers/