What is the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut?

Answer 1

Astronaut and cosmonaut are the names given to people who travel in space, either as a pilot or crew member of a spacecraft. Astronaut is widely used by English-speaking countries, cosmonaut is used by Russia. Other countries like China use completely different words for space traveler.

But they are essentially the same thing, astronaut being an American version and cosmonaut generally referring to Russian space travelers. It is the English rendering of the Russian word Kosmonavt

Answer 2

An astronaut is a term used by NASA for individuals who go into space, while a cosmonaut is the term used by the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, for individuals who go into space. Both astronauts and cosmonauts undergo rigorous training and have similar responsibilities while in space.