A brief history of spaceflight from 1961 to 2020: An analysis of missions and astronaut demographics.

ABSTRACT: Human spaceflight and the characteristics of people who become astronauts have changed over time. Here we present an analysis of n=1,265 manned spaceflights by n=562 astronauts from 1961-2020 to investigate historical trends over time and between space agencies in terms of astronaut demographics and spaceflight duration. Generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models were implemented with adjustments for all available demographic data as covariates. Women continue to be underrepresented as astronauts, and were younger, had fewer children, and were less likely to have a military background than their male counterparts. Astronaut age has increased over time, although this increase was significant only for first-time spaceflights. The proportion of astronauts from civilian back

SUBMITTER: Smith MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7422727 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature