Astronaut explained to kids

An astronaut is a person who goes to space. They ride in rockets and work on space stations. Most astronauts are from the United States or Russia. Astronauts need to be in good physical shape and have good eyesight. They also need to know a lot about science and math. People become astronauts by going to college and getting a degree in science or engineering. They also have to undergo training to prepare for a space mission. Astronauts do many different things while in space. They conduct experiments, take pictures of Earth, and repair satellites. The first person to go to space was Yuri Gagarin, a Russian. He went to space in 1961. People used to think that astronauts were brave because they went to space. But now we know that they are just like everyone else.