According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word “astronaut” came in 1880. Percy Greg, a journalist and novelist, used it to describe a fictional spacecraft in his writing. Forty-eight years later, it would be used in The New York Times, this time holding the meaning that stands today: a person who travels in space.
Formed from the Greek words “astron,” meaning star, and “nautēs,” meaning sailor, it would take a few decades of technological development, research, and testing after that 1928 article before the term could truly describe any real people. However, once astronauts finally became a reality in the late 1950s, it marked a new age of space exploration. The ensuing decades have brought new technologies resembling what used to be thought of as pure science fiction, thousands of space-based research and exploration missions, and more than five hundred different astronauts worldwide.
Astronauts are still exceedingly rare, and becoming one requires years of intense studying, training, and lots of different selection criteria.
According to Astronomy Magazine, the total number of people who have gone to space is a bit under 700 as of November 2023, which is just a little higher than the total number of NBA players on rosters last season alone. Basically, there’s a significantly higher likelihood that you end up as an NBA player versus an astronaut.
So keep reading to learn about the heartwarming (and incredible) achievements of two recent astronauts, Katherine Bennell-Pegg and Edward Dwight.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg: Australia’s First Astronaut
Photo Courtesy ASA
Katherine Bennell-Pegg is many things: the Australian Space Agency’s (ASA) Director of Space Technology, a mother-of-two, and, most recently, Australia’s first female astronaut. Remember how becoming an astronaut is really difficult? Out of 22,500 eligible applicants, Bennell-Pegg was one of 25 to successfully pass all the selection stages for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) space training program. However, doing well on tests is nothing out of the ordinary for her, considering that she holds four degrees.
Graduating from the ESA’s 13-month-long space program in April of this year made Bennell-Pegg not only the first Australian female astronaut but also the first person to train and qualify as one under Australia’s flag.
In a news interview about the accomplishment, she spoke about how much of the coverage is focused on her as the first female astronaut in the country instead of the first astronaut to represent Australia, demonstrating a bigger conversation needed around women in STEM.
In high school, Bennell-Pegg was asked to write down three possible careers she might follow. She just wrote one instead: astronaut. But, having just realized that long-standing dream, Bennell-Pegg, only 39 years old, is just blasting off on her space-based journey.
Edward Dwight: The 90-Year-Old Astronaut
Photo Courtesy United States Air Force
There were six people aboard a Blue Origin spaceflight that took place in May earlier this year. The nine-minute and 53-second flight was surely an incredible experience for all six of its passengers, but it was truly life-changing for one in particular: Edward Dwight.
The Jeff Bezos-founded company’s flight made the 90-year-old the oldest person to ever go into space (sorry, William Shatner).
However, more importantly, the space trip represented the righting of a more than 60-year-old wrong. In 1961, Dwight, then a U.S. Air Force pilot, was selected to join the country’s training program as the first Black astronaut, with support from President John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy’s assassination and amidst a backdrop of racism and political tension, Dwight’s role in the space program slowly but surely vanished. He left the Air Force in 1966.
It might have only been nine minutes and 53 seconds for the other five passengers. However, for Dwight, it was a — to borrow his own words after stepping off the spacecraft — “long time coming.”
