Why India Call It's Astronaut 'Vyomanauts' ?

Space News ,India :-  In an exciting development on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded "astronaut wings" to Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla. Many might assume that these four individuals are set to become India's first astronauts, given the historical context of space exploration by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984. However, they are destined to be known as the world's first vyomanauts.

This distinction in naming is part of a tradition where space travelers are identified based on their national origin or language. The practice traces back to the Cold War-era space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, where each country named its space explorers in alignment with linguistic and cultural influences.

India joins the ranks of the United States, the former Soviet Union (now Russia), and China as the fourth country to develop an indigenous human space travel program. The terminology for space travelers, such as astronauts for the U.S., cosmonauts for Russia, and taikonauts for China, reflects a unique cultural identity.

The U.S. initiated its human spaceflight program under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The term "astronaut" was chosen, drawing inspiration from Greek roots, symbolizing America's commitment to peaceful space exploration. In Greek, "astron" means star, and "nautes" means sailor, translating to "star sailor."

During the early years of space exploration, there was a discussion within NASA about whether spacecraft crew members should be called astronauts or cosmonauts. "Cosmonaut" was favored by some, emphasizing the broader cosmos, while "astronaut" prevailed due to common usage.

The term "astronaut" had earlier surfaced in literature, with Neil R. Jones using it in his 1930 short story "The Death's Head Meteor." The word had earlier appearances in works like Percy Greg's 1880 book "Across the Zodiac" and J.H. Rosny aîné's 1925 work "Les Navigateurs de l'infini." The term might have drawn inspiration from "aeronaut," coined in 1784 for balloonists.

In Russian, an astronaut employed by the Russian Federal Space Agency is called a cosmonaut, derived from the Russian term "kosmonavt." "Cosmos" in Russian means space, and "nautes" means sailor, translating to "space sailor" or "cosmic traveler." Yuri Gagarin became the first cosmonaut in 1961, orbiting Earth in the Vostok 1 spacecraft.

China joined the human space exploration race with the launch of its first crewed mission, Shenzhou-5, in 2003. The Chinese term for their space travelers is "taikonaut," with "Taikong" meaning space and "Naut" borrowed from Greek for sailor. However, the official Chinese term is "Vuhangyuan," meaning "travelers of the Universe."

India continues this tradition by naming its space travelers "vyomanauts." In Sanskrit, "Vyoma" means space, and "Naut" reflects the Greek term for sailor. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has reportedly coined this term for individuals participating in India's indigenous human space program.

Three vyomanauts are set to crew Gaganyaan, India's first crewed orbital spacecraft. While Prashanth Nair and Angad Prathap have been confirmed as the first two vyomanauts, Ajith Krishnan and Subhanshu Shukla are competing for the third spot.