Everyone Who Has Ever Been to Space, Charted

image via New Scientist

January 21, 2025, 2:00 PM

• •More than 700 people have flown past the 50-mile-high mark that was considered the boundary of space when spaceflight first got started.
• •Men and women from 47 countries have reached space, including residents of every continent, most in the employ of space agencies and some with private companies.
• •The number of space visitors peaked in the 1990s, when NASA flew an average of six space shuttle missions a year, each usually carrying five to seven astronauts.

More than 700 people have flown past the 50-mile-high mark that was considered the boundary of space when spaceflight first got started. At that time, the Soviet Union and the U.S. were the only teams, and military men around 30 years old were practically the only players. Since then, astronauts have diversified in many ways: men and women from 47 countries have reached space, including residents of every continent, most in the employ of space agencies and some with private companies.

Read original article