This is a list of astronauts by year of selection, people selected for training for a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Until recently, astronauts were sponsored and trained exclusively by governments, either by the military or by civilian space agencies. However, with the first sub-orbital flight of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of astronaut was created – the commercial astronaut.
While the term astronaut is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists, this article only lists professional astronauts. A list of everyone who has flown in space can be found at List of space travelers by name.
More than 500 people have trained as astronauts.
North American X-15 Pilots Group – USA
Note: Facts from Michael Cassutt's book Who's Who in Space.
June 25 – Man In Space Soonest – USA
April 9 – NASA Group 1 – Mercury Seven – USA
March 7 – Air Force Group 1 – USSR
April – Dyna-Soar Group 1 – USA
March 12 – Female Group – USSR
September 17 – NASA Group 2 – The Next Nine (Also: The Nifty Nine, The New Nine) – USA
September 19 – Dyna-Soar Group 2 – USA
January 10 – Air Force Group 2 – USSR
October 17, 1963 – NASA Group 3 – The Fourteen – USA
January 25 – Air Force Group 2 Supplemental – USSR
May 26 – Voskhod Group (Medical Group 1) – USSR
June 11 – Civilian Specialist Group 1 – USSR
June 1 – Journalist Group 1 – USSR
June 1 – Medical Group 2 – USSR
June 28 – NASA Group 4 – The Scientists – USA