• Written by Editorial Team
• April 9, 2026
• 10 minutes

The True Meaning of “Astronaut” in Modern Times

Who Really Deserves the Title “Astronaut” in 2026?

By AI TV INFO | Global Intelligence and Science Briefing — April 9, 2026

The word “astronaut” literally means “star sailor.” Derived from the Ancient Greek astron (star) + nautes (sailor), the term was coined in its modern sense in the late 1920s and popularized by NASA in 1961.

The Greeks were effectively the star pupils of the Ancient Egyptians. While the Greeks gave the word astronaut, the Ancient Egyptians provided the maps. The Greeks didn’t just stumble upon astronomy; they “inherited” a massive, millennium-old database of celestial observations from the Nile Valley. The famous Greek thinkers—Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato—were documented to have traveled to Egypt to study under the priests of Heliopolis and Memphis.

• Astronomy as Theology: To the Ancient Egyptians, the stars weren’t just distant lights; they were the “Imperishable Ones.” They tracked the star Sirius (Sothis) to predict the flooding of the Nile.

• Mathematical Foundations: The Greeks learned geometry (literally “earth-measurement”) in Ancient Egypt, which was essential for later calculating the circumference of the Earth and the distance to the moon. Many Greek scientific terms have roots in the concepts they learned in the temples of Egypt. The very idea of the “Cosmos” (order/beauty) was a Greek response to the Egyptian concept of Ma’at (divine order).

The term “astronaut” is modern, but it is associated with ancient ideas of celestial or cosmic journeys. In ancient Egypt, priests and pharaohs held deep religious and astronomical knowledge. NASA defines astronauts as professionals selected for its corps, rigorously trained, and launched as crew members on spacecraft for orbit or beyond—essentially career “star sailors” tasked with commanding or crewing missions.

Yet, in 2026, a cultural confusion persists. Space tourism companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have awarded “astronaut wings” to paying passengers after brief suborbital hops. Crossing the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km (62 miles)—for a few minutes of weightlessness does not equate to operating a spacecraft, performing scientific experiments, or surviving in deep space.

A recent example is Blue Origin’s NS‑31 all-female flight in April 2025, which included Katy Perry, a singer; Gayle King, a journalist; Lauren Sánchez, a journalist without an academic degree; Kerianne Flynn, a film producer; Aisha Bowe, an aerospace engineer; and Amanda Nguyen, a civil-rights activist with a Bachelor of Arts. Among them, only Aisha has formal engineering credentials and substantial professional experience in aerospace. None of the NS‑31 participants are professional astronauts in the traditional sense recognized by space agencies. The flight was fully automated, and passengers did not perform roles essential to the operation or safety of the spacecraft. Despite this, they were referred to as astronauts after an 11-minute trip, which sparked widespread criticism for appearing to diminish the professional work and expertise of career astronauts.

🧑‍🚀 The Real Astronauts

The distinction is clear: professional astronauts undergo years of rigorous selection and training, often with a STEM master’s degree, physical and psychological testing, and intensive preparation in spacecraft systems, spacewalking, robotics, emergency procedures, and mission-specific tasks.

What they actually do in space:

• Operate spacecraft and conduct experiments
• Repair and maintain systems
• Test life-support and navigation systems
• Explore celestial bodies

Artemis II: Humanity’s Return to Deep Space

On April 1, 2026, NASA launched Artemis II, the first crewed flight beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four-person crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA)—flew the Orion spacecraft on a ~10-day lunar flyby.

Key milestones:

• Lunar flyby at just 4,067 miles (6,545 km) from the Moon
• Record-breaking distance from Earth: 252,756 miles (406,771 km), surpassing Apollo 13
• Extended 40-minute communications blackout behind the Moon
• Manual piloting, high-resolution lunar photography, and life-support system evaluations

As of April 9, 2026, the crew is returning to Earth, scheduled to splash down in the Pacific on April 10. This is not tourism; it is a rigorous, mission-driven exploration paving the way for future Moon and Mars missions.

Here’s a breakdown of the qualifications for the four-person crew:

1. Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Military-trained astronaut with experience as a Navy pilot and engineer; holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and completed extensive NASA astronaut training, including spaceflight missions on the ISS.
2. Pilot Victor Glover (NASA) – U.S. Navy aviator and test pilot; holds a degree in engineering, completed test pilot school, and NASA astronaut training; prior experience includes piloting spacecraft and operating complex systems.
3. Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA) – Electrical engineer with NASA astronaut training; extensive experience with ISS missions, EVAs (spacewalks), and scientific research in space.
4. Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA) – Canadian Space Agency astronaut; trained as a fighter pilot and engineer, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and completed CSA and NASA astronaut training, including preparation for complex space missions.

All four crew members have formal engineering or scientific degrees, military or technical flight experience, and completed the rigorous NASA/CSA astronaut training program, qualifying them as professional astronauts capable of operating spacecraft and performing complex missions.

 Ongoing Work on the International Space Station

While Artemis II represents a bold leap outward, Expedition 74 on the ISS continues year-round. Since December 2025, astronauts and cosmonauts from NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos have been conducting hundreds of experiments in biology, physics, materials science, and technology development.

Recent additions via SpaceX Crew-12 include Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Sophie Adenot, performing:

• Spacewalks to maintain solar arrays and study microbes
• Autonomous medical scans using augmented reality and AI
• Water filtration tests converting drinking water to emergency IV fluid
• Studies on microgravity effects on blood flow, cancer therapeutics, and materials science

These astronauts are not passengers—they are operators, scientists, and explorers performing work critical for humanity’s future in space.

The “Edge of Space” and the Tourist vs. Professional Debate

The Kármán line, roughly 100 kilometers above Earth, marks the official edge of space. Commercial flights may cross this boundary for a brief moment, but simply reaching that altitude does not make someone a professional astronaut.

To understand why, consider some everyday comparisons. Sitting in an airplane does not make you a pilot, which requires years of flight training, certifications, and practical experience. Visiting a clinic does not make you a doctor, which requires medical school, residency, and hands-on practice treating patients. Talking about the law does not make you a lawyer, which requires earning a law degree and practicing in real legal cases. Carrying a weapon does not make someone an elite soldier, which requires extensive military training, discipline, and field experience. Entering a bank or accompanying a banker to meetings does not make you a banker or financial professional; becoming one requires a degree in finance or economics and years of experience in investment, analysis, or management. Calling yourself a CEO without managing a company not establish real leadership, as true executives gain experience through managing people, projects, and organizational strategy. Befriending billionaires, celebrities, or royalty does not confer their status or personalities — true expertise comes from education, training, history and demonstrated ability.

The same principle applies to space travel. Professional astronauts navigate spacecraft, conduct complex missions, and take real risks to advance human knowledge and capability. Space tourists may enjoy the view, but true spacefarers earn their title through action, training, and experience, not simply by crossing an invisible line. When the female crew faced widespread mockery and criticism, it underscored common misconceptions about the demands of professional spaceflight and why claiming a qualification one has not earned is inappropriate.

 The Spirit of a True Astronaut

Humankind has long dreamed of the stars. Ancient civilizations like the Babylonians and Egyptians were mathematicians, architects, and ritual astronomers, aligning tombs, temples, and observatories with stars and planets.

• Babylonian priests predicted planetary positions with complex geometry
• Egyptian ceilings, like that of Senenmut’s tomb, depict constellations as Ra sails across the sky
• Vimanas in Vedic texts describe divine flying chariots

The Original Ancient Astronauts Before Modern Spaceflight

Long before modern rockets, spacecraft, or even telescopes, humanity’s fascination with the stars was profound—and the knowledge of the heavens was far from primitive. Ancient civilizations, especially the Ancient Egyptians, were master astronomers, mathematicians, and keen observers of the cosmos. They charted the stars, mapped planetary movements, and aligned temples and tombs with celestial events, creating a legacy of knowledge that survives today in relics, monuments, and oral traditions.

When the Ancient Egyptians migrated, exerting influence across Africa, they carried part of this celestial wisdom with them. This explains why a few Bantu kings, descendants of Ancient Egyptian royalty, preserved sophisticated star lore across Sub-Saharan Africa, connecting them to the same cosmic understanding that guided the Pharaohs. This continuity is not merely speculative; it is documented through artifacts, astronomical alignments, and tangible relics that have endured for thousands of years.

It is no coincidence that Nikola Tesla visited ancient Egyptian tombs and studied ancient monuments. He drew inspiration from the engineering, geometry, and cosmic awareness embedded in these sites, perceiving patterns of energy, resonance, and celestial mechanics that could inform modern science. Historical interpretations of these relics, while often skeptical, are largely irrelevant to this truth. What endures are the facts etched in stone, encoded in structure and alignment, and preserved in relics — practical knowledge of the heavens accessible to those who observed deeply.

While researching for this article, we interviewed HRH Princess Rachel Belle, CEO of AAA Intergalactic Investments Group, to ask for her perspective on Nikola Tesla and his interest in ancient Egypt.

When asked about Tesla’s fascination with ancient Egyptian civilization, HRH Princess Rachel Belle responded:

“There are only two words that come to my mind: misappropriation and theft.”

While Tesla’s reputation as a “brilliant inventor” and thinker is widely recognized, some aspects of his intellectual inspiration reflect a broader historical pattern in which ancient knowledge(particularly that associated with Egyptian kings and pharaonic civilization) has often been reinterpreted or reframed in later scientific and philosophical traditions and publications without explicit acknowledgment.

Her comments present a critical perspective on the relationship between modern scientific development and ancient intellectual heritage, framing Tesla’s work within a larger discussion about cultural transmission, influence, and recognition across history.

AI TV INFO’s Take Away

The ancients were, in a profound sense, the first “astronauts”—navigating the cosmos through knowledge, careful observation, and spiritual insight. Their legacy was not forged from metal vessels or engines, but from astronomical mastery, precise celestial mapping, and early cosmic science. These achievements resonate with modern exploration and innovation, showing that humanity’s drive to reach the stars is as old as civilization itself. Some argue that such detailed star charts and cosmic knowledge could only have come from direct experience beyond Earth, hinting that these ancient kings have somehow traversed the depths of space to map what was otherwise invisible to the naked eye or even telescopes.

💬Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

As space travel becomes increasingly commercialized, how should society honor the distinction between true “star sailors” and short-term space tourists?

Previous related article:  https://ai-tv.info/intergalactic-futures/

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Sidebar: AI TV INFO – Ancient Star Knowledge Facts

• Ancient Egyptian astronomy: Precise alignment of temples and tombs with solstices, equinoxes, and key stars.
• Sub-Saharan continuity: Bantu kings and their courts preserved star lore for navigation, ritual, and agriculture.
• Tesla’s inspiration: Geometric patterns and energy principles in monuments influenced modern electrical and resonance experiments.
• Legacy: Spiritual insight, celestial mapping, and practical astronomical observation were the first steps toward humanity’s eventual modern journey into space.

• Astronaut etymology: Greek astron = star, nautes = sailor
• Professional astronaut criteria: Years of training, STEM background, space missions, operational responsibilities
• Space tourists: Brief suborbital flights, limited responsibility, short weightless experience
• Kármán line: 100 km / 62 miles altitude, defining space’s technical boundary

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