The people who flew to space
Going to space takes extraordinary courage, and this word search gathers many of the astronauts who did it. You'll be finding the first man on the Moon, ARMSTRONG, with his crewmates ALDRIN and COLLINS, the first human in space, GAGARIN, and the first woman in space, TERESHKOVA.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection of surnames from the list, so the crew changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a longer-word challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Pioneers of the space age
From the earliest flights to the space station, the words are here. There's GLENN and SHEPARD of the first American missions, the Apollo crews LOVELL, CERNAN, BEAN, WORDEN and SCHMITT, the Soviet pioneers LEONOV and KOMAROV, the first American woman in space RIDE, and the first African-American woman in space JEMISON — plus modern flyers HADFIELD, PEAKE and record-breaker WHITSON, with early Mercury names GRISSOM, COOPER and CARPENTER.
Firsts, records and a guitar in orbit
These names mark humanity's greatest journey. Yuri GAGARIN became the first person in space in 1961, orbiting the Earth in under two hours; Valentina TERESHKOVA followed as the first woman just two years later. Then in 1969 Neil ARMSTRONG and Buzz ALDRIN walked on the Moon while Michael COLLINS orbited above — and ARMSTRONG's words, 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind', are among the most famous ever spoken.
Space exploration is still being written today. Peggy WHITSON has spent more time in space than any other American, Alexei LEONOV made the first-ever spacewalk, and Sally RIDE and Mae JEMISON broke barriers as pioneering women astronauts. Chris HADFIELD became a global star by filming life aboard the International Space Station and even recording a song while floating in orbit. The job demands incredible bravery — early astronauts sat atop rockets with no guarantee of return — which makes them inspiring figures for a space topic or STEM display.
Great for a space topic
It's a great fit for a space topic or STEM display — we use surnames to keep words short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words (longer names like TERESHKOVA appear on Medium and Hard). Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own list of astronauts.
Frequently asked questions
Which astronauts are in the word search?
Space pioneers across the decades — Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins, Gagarin, Tereshkova, Glenn, Ride, Jemison and more. Each puzzle uses a fresh selection of surnames.
Does it cover the space-race firsts?
It does — the first man on the Moon ARMSTRONG with ALDRIN and COLLINS, the first human in space GAGARIN, the first woman in space TERESHKOVA, plus GLENN, SHEPARD, RIDE and JEMISON.
Is it good for a space topic?
Great fit for a space topic or STEM display. We use surnames to keep words short, and Easy mode uses a small grid with no diagonals or reverse words.