Captivated by the cosmos? You might enjoy this list of space-inspired baby names:
Robert (and Nell)
American physicist Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket (nicknamed Nell) in Auburn, Massachusetts on March 16, 1926.
Yuri
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space and return safely on April 12, 1961.
Alan
Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961.
Valentina
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963.
Alexey (and Eva)
Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov carried out the first EVA (extra-vehicular activity–in this case, a spacewalk) on March 18, 1965.
Edwin and Neil
Astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong become the first men to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Vladimir
Czechoslovak cosmonaut Vladimír Remek became the first Non-American, non-Soviet in space on March 2, 1978.
Sally
Astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983.
Svetlana
Cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk on July 25, 1984.
Anna
Astronaut Anna Fisher became the first mother in space* on November 8, 1984.
Helen
British cosmonaut Helen Sharman became the first non-American, non-Soviet female in space on May 18, 1991.
Peggy
American biochemist Peggy Whitson became the first resident scientist of the International Space Station in 2002.
And now, a couple of questions:
- Can you come up with any other space-related baby names?
- What interests/activities should we namestorm about next?
*By “the first mother in space,” I mean the first woman with children to go into space, not the first woman to give birth in space.
Sources: Key Milestones in Space Exploration, Space Exploration Timeline, Wikipedia, Women in Space
Gus-
after Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom, second American to fly in space and the first person to fly in space twice. He died during the Apollo 1 launchpad fire.
Sunita-
after Sunita Williams, astronaut who holds the record of the longest spaceflight (195 days) for female space travelers.
Carl-
for astronomer and author Carl Sagan.
Homer-
after author Homer Hickam. While he’s never been in space, he was a NASA engineer and he’s memoir Rocket Boys (filmed as October Sky) is about amateur rocketry.
Werner-
after Wernher von Braun, German-born American rocket scientist, chief architect of the Saturn V rocket which put man on the moon.
Venetia-
after Venetia Burney, the first person to suggest the name Pluto for the object. At the time, she was 11 years old. (I’m only adding this because it’s such an interesting story and a great name.)
Roberta – for Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut!
This is a bit out there, but was the first thing that came to mind – Nastassia with the nickname Nasa :D
I was going to mention Suni Williams, too.
How about nurses/nursing next?
Great additions! Thanks everyone.