ArticleActa astronautica2020
A brief history of spaceflight from 1961 to 2020: An analysis of missions and astronaut demographics.
Article in Acta astronautica, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechatronics Design of a Clinostat Agriculture Space System for Biomimetic Phyto-Growth in Microgravity (Phyto-G) and 3D-Motion Computer Simulation on Hydroponic Environment.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A demographic comparison of NASA astronauts and commercial spaceflight participants.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Proximity measurements for objective assessments of crew cohesion in an antarctic space analog environment.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Reduced postural stability in men and women aged 55-65 following 14 days of head-down bed rest.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- [Risks, mechanisms, and prevention strategies for cerebrovascular diseases in lunar astronauts under deep].Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2025Review
- Effects of microgravity on neuromuscular control of the spine: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Sex-specific effects on the heart from combined exposure to simulated galactic cosmic radiation and hindlimb unloading.Life sciences in space research · 2025Article
- Accelerated aging in space and the ocular surface.Eye (London, England) · 2024Article
- Exploiting the Unique Biology ofAstrobiology · 2024Article
- Acute and short-term fluctuations in gravity are associated with changes in circulatory plasma protein levels.NPJ microgravity · 2024Article
- The human biology of spaceflight.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2024Article
- Space-Like Irradiation Exacerbated Cognitive Deficits and Amyloid Pathology in CRND8 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2024Article
- Effects of body size and countermeasure exercise on estimates of life support resources during all-female crewed exploration missions.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Pathophysiology, risk, diagnosis, and management of venous thrombosis in space: where are we now?NPJ microgravity · 2023Review
- Effects of dynamic lighting on circadian phase, self-reported sleep and performance during a 45-day space analog mission with chronic variable sleep deficiency.Journal of pineal research · 2022Article
- Article
- Effects of a 33-ion sequential beam galactic cosmic ray analog on male mouse behavior and evaluation of CDDO-EA as a radiation countermeasure.Behavioural brain research · 2022Article
- Effects of low-dose oxygen ions on cardiac function and structure in female C57BL/6J mice.Life sciences in space research · 2022Article
- Future research directions to identify risks and mitigation strategies for neurostructural, ocular, and behavioral changes induced by human spaceflight: A NASA-ESA expert group consensus report.Frontiers in neural circuits · 2022Article
- Trunk Skeletal Muscle Changes on CT with Long-Duration Spaceflight.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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 backgrounds has generally increased over time, although there is evidence this trend may be reversing. Spaceflight duration has increased over time, and has been longest for ROSCOSMOS cosmonauts and shortest for Chinese taikonauts. There were also differences between space agencies in terms of astronaut demographics, particularly between NASA and ROSCOSMOS, with first-time NASA astronauts more likely to be women, civilian and older than first-time ROSCOSMOS cosmonauts. As humankind embarks on exploration-class missions back to the lunar surface and then onward to Mars, and with new nations and commercial entities entering the international space community, the nature of spaceflight, and the diversity of the astronauts, will continue to evolve.
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