Cosmonaut
코스모넛
The official term for a Soviet or Russian human spaceflight crew member. Combining the Greek 'kosmos' (universe) and 'nautes' (sailor), meaning 'sailor of the universe,' it was coined by Soviet aerospace engineer Mikhail Tikhonravov. Yuri Gagarin became the first cosmonaut in 1961, and the term served to distinguish the Soviet space identity from the American 'astronaut' (star sailor). A symbol of Cold War space competition and Soviet technological pride, it remains the designation for Russian Federal Space Agency crew members today.
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- Wikipedia (EN) Coinage of the term космонавт has been credited to Soviet aeronautics pioneer Mikhail Tikhonravov (1900–1974).
- kosmo-museum.ru Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow: 'Ему принадлежит сама идея слова «космонавт»' (The very idea of the word 'cosmonaut' belongs to him).
- smithsonianmag.com Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine: 'He even coined the word cosmonaut.'
- rbth.com Russia Beyond: 'Mikhail Tikhonravov is credited for coining the term cosmonaut and popularising it in the Russian aerospace community.'