35 Astronaut Coloring Pages - Free!

Have you ever had the dream of traveling to space? Do you think it sounds too dangerous? Or, on the contrary, would you love the idea? Without a doubt, it's a profession that requires strong and trained people to travel beyond the Earth.

Astronauts have to go through rigorous training, did you know that? They have to be prepared for any situation that comes up on a spaceship, or outside it. They have to know how to pilot, be good at teamwork, and be in good physical shape.

Depending on their position in the crew, the astronaut will have a specific role, which can range from piloting the ship to carrying out experiments without gravity.

Would you like to know more? Don't worry! If you color this topic you'll find very interesting information about astronauts, so you can tell your friends and family what you've learned about them. We're sure you'll love it!

Don't think too much about it, grab your colors, markers, chalk, or whatever you have at hand and paint these printable coloring pages. You'll see that you won't regret it!

1. An astronaut's space suit is very heavy. It can weigh around 127 kg.
2. Laika was a dog of Soviet origin who became the first earthly living being to travel to space. The launch was on November 3, 1957, however, she died a few hours later due to stress.
3. Astronauts need to exercise their muscles often, since in space they atrophy easily due to the lack of gravity, so on the International Space Station there's a gym set up for them.
4. Apollo 11 was the name of the mission that achieved the first man reaching the Moon. Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut and commander of the mission, departed in the Apollo ship on July 16, 1969.
5. The MMU backpack, known as the Manned Maneuvering Unit, is a propulsion backpack that allows space shuttle astronauts to fly freely.
6. The first person in the world to go out into space was the astronaut Yuri Gagarin, aboard the Vostok ship on April 12, 1961.
7. Do you want to know how astronauts pee? If they're on short-term expeditions, they use special diapers called MAGs. If the trips are long, the ships have special toilets that work at zero gravity.
8. Pedro Duque was the first Spanish astronaut to travel to space, in October 1998, along with six other astronauts on the Discovery shuttle.
9. Do you know how astronauts keep clean? They bring water from Earth and it has to be rationed, so they don't take showers, instead they soap up with a damp cloth.
10. The Orlan Suit is a Russian suit model that allows astronauts to stay outside the station for more than seven hours. That's a long time!
11. Traveling to space has its consequences. Astronauts usually lose muscle mass, since in space they don't use the strength needed on Earth to overcome the resistance generated by gravity.
12. NASA carried out a study with two twin astronauts: Mark and Scott Kelly, in order to study the genetic and physiological changes of being in space.
13. Astronauts can grow in space! Since there's no gravity, the spine doesn't compress, therefore many astronauts grow between 2 and 5 centimeters in space.
14. Being in space affects our vision. This condition is known as "Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome."
15. In space the days aren't like the ones we know, since the cycle of light and darkness is different, so most astronauts suffer sleep disturbances and need pills in order to sleep.
16. One of the harms astronauts suffer when traveling to space is the loss of density in their bones, which is around 1% for each month in space.
17. The best way to rehearse from Earth for going to space is to do it underwater, due to the weightlessness that comes with floating.
18. Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman astronaut in the world. How amazing! She traveled aboard the Vostok 6, on June 16, 1963.
19. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman astronaut in the world, was chosen from among more than 400 applicants to travel to space, and completed 48 orbits around the Earth, in 3 days of mission in space.
20. Russian astronauts go armed on their space trips. They do it as a safety measure in case, upon landing on Earth, they land in areas where they could be attacked by animals.
21. Astronauts' hearts also change in space. They become almost 10% more spherical, due to long periods exposed to microgravity.
22. Astronauts' hands end up with blisters, chafing, and no nails, do you know why? Because the space suit gloves are very heavy, so they press the fingers and cut off circulation.
23. Astronaut candidates must complete two years of basic training, where they learn various things, such as survival techniques and technical skills.
24. Astronaut candidates are required to have at least a university degree and master's in engineering, biology, science, computer science, or mathematics. You have to study a lot!
25. More men than women travel to space. This is because radiation doesn't affect both sexes equally. Men can receive up to 30% more radiation than women, so it affects them less in terms of health.
26. Astronaut suits are made with synthetic materials, which are heat-resistant, so they don't burn or melt when they come into contact with flames of fire.
27. Emilio Herrera was a Spanish military and aerospace engineer who, in his attempt to create a suit that would allow researchers to reach higher layers of the atmosphere, ended up creating a precursor of the space suit.
28. Do you know why space suits are white? Because it's the color that reflects radiation most effectively while in space.
29. The helmet of astronaut suits is bulletproof, and not exactly because of bullets, but in case some rock or piece of meteorite approaches. It also has microphones and speakers.
30. Sally Ride was an American physicist and astronaut who on June 18, 1983, became the first North American woman to leave the Earth's atmosphere.
31. On May 28, 1959, the Rhesus monkey Able and the squirrel monkey Baker became the first to return to Earth after a space flight.
32. The French launched the first cat into space on October 18, 1963. The cat landed safely after a 15-minute flight.
33. In 1967, three astronauts died after a fire in a pre-flight test of the Apollo I ship.
34. Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut, best known for being the first human to set foot on the Moon. What an amazing feat!