National Astronaut Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Astronauts

National Astronaut Day has been observed annually on May 5 since 2016 to commemorate the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard. We have come a long way from the first-ever space flight to the longest spaceflight by a woman.

The background of National Astronaut Day

NASA initiated an astronaut selection process in January 1959 in response to the space race and Russia’s first successful launch into orbit. This involved reviewing the credentials of 508 military test pilots, from which 110 candidates were selected. At the conclusion of the arduous selection process, seven candidates were selected based on final interviews. L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Scott Carpenter, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, John H. Glenn Jr., Alan Shepard Jr., Walter Schirra Jr., and Donald Slayton were the astronauts. They would be known as the Mercury Seven in history.

On 5 May 1961, Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American to travel into space. The flight lasted 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 116 miles, which was a milestone in and of itself.
National Astronaut Day was established by the Uniphi Space Agency in 2016. It is a talent and marketing division of Uniphi Good LLC, which represents more than twenty former NASA astronauts.

National Astronaut Day honours astronauts as heroes who inspire us to continue reaching for the heavens. It is a tribute to all those courageous individuals who risked their lives to advance humanity’s understanding of space exploration and the universe in general.

The purpose of National Astronaut Day is to share astronauts’ experiences and stories with young space enthusiasts and inspire them to pursue their ambitions.

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5 little-known facts about astronauts

Charles Duke, the Apollo 16 astronaut, left a photograph of his family along with a note mentioning his family and the date April 1972.

Due to low gravity, astronauts cannot sense when their bladders are full; therefore, they are trained to urinate every two hours.

Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, recorded the first original composition in space, titled “Jewel In The Night.”

Astronauts can grow up to 3% taller while in microgravity, but their height returns to normal after a few months on Earth.

The space station orbits the planet once every 92 minutes, allowing astronauts to witness a sunrise or sunset approximately every 45 minutes.

NATIONAL ASTRONAUT DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	May 5	Friday
2024	May 5	Sunday
2025	May 5	Monday
2026	May 5	Tuesday
2027	May 5	Wednesday