Alexander V. Khodykin

The paper offers results of a comparative analysis of the socio-professional characteristics of Russian and foreign cosmonauts/astronauts. The analysis is based on data from the website of the research Institute "Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center", as well as other open sources, both Russian and non-Russian. Comparative analysis of such socio-professional characteristics of cosmonauts as certified specialties, scientific productivity, average number of flights, types of additional activities, areas in which cosmonauts continue their job after completion. The author also analyzes careers of cosmo-/astronauts, their family ties, their attitude to military service and military ranks. Accordingly, following main conclusions were obtained: for most indicators, Russian cosmonauts with space flight experience do not differ much from their foreign colleagues; astronauts fly into space more often than cosmonauts; after completing their careers, foreign astronauts are more often engaged in business, while Russian cosmonauts often occupy senior positions and go into politics; proportion of civilians among astronauts is much higher than among Russian cosmonauts. The predominance of pilots and engineers among Russians is much higher than among their foreign counterparts, while range of specialties that astronauts feature is wider.