Space Explored

How many people are in space right now?

By Seth Kurkowski

October 6, 2021

There are currently 10 people in space, all onboard the International Space Station.

- 3 Russian cosmonauts - 3 NASA astronauts - 2 private tourists

-1 JAXA astronaut - 1 ESA astronaut

Eight of these crew members are a part of Expedition 65, these astronauts conduct experiments and continue to maintain the station.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, a part of the expedition, are planning to stay on the station for just under a year. Breaking a new record.

Alongside the normal expedition crew are two private Russian citizens that are filming scenes for a feature-length film.

Their stay will only last 12 days, and they will return to Earth onboard MS-18 with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy as their commander.

The next launch carrying crew to space will be Blue Origin's NS-18 flight carrying William Shatner and 3 others to 100 km.

Image: Blue Origin

Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space when he was 27 years old, flying Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.

First person in space?

Alan Shepard became the first American in space at the age of 37. He launched inside his Freedom 7 capsule from a Mercury Redstone rocket on May 5, 1961.

First American in space?

Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space when she was 26 years old. She launched in Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963.

Image: Astra

First woman in space?

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space at the age of 32. She flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger for NASA’s STS-7 mission on June 18, 1983.

First American woman in space?

Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon when he was 38 years old. He was the commander of Apollo 11 which launched July 16, 1969.

First person on the Moon?