are the humans that go into space "heroes"

[dead0man]

assuming he was just merely an astronaut, I wouldn't put him on some pedestal.

I think I'm in the middle, leaning towards them all being heroes.  Those early guys certainly were.  (including all the -nauts here, not just the astro kind)

To be fair, before John Glenn's famous orbit, 50% of all Saturn rockets blew up on the platform. Those early astronauts were numerous risks and uncertainties that modern day astronauts don't have to deal with.

agreed

you?

[Lief 🗽]

Yes, they risked their lives almost purely for the advancement of science and mankind.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Yes, they risked their lives almost purely for the advancement of science and mankind.

And for trying to prove the technological and scientific superiority of the United States' system over the Communist system during the Cold War, which was at least 50% of the effort.

Not sure I'd call them heroes, since I define term as "someone who saves or helps other people" and that is what astronauts usually don't do. But they certainly were brave men.

[RINO Tom]

Sure?  They're certainly admirable.

[Xing]

Not to take any credit away from veterans, they deserve a great deal of respect for what they've done, but I don't think the term "hero" should be reserved for someone in the armed forces. I would certainly consider astronauts a type of hero.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Not to take any credit away from veterans, they deserve a great deal of respect for what they've done, but I don't think the term "hero" should be reserved for someone in the armed forces. I would certainly consider astronauts a type of hero.

[BaldEagle1991]

You should also realize that going into space is a life risking thing.

[Devout Centrist]

Definitely. You have to remember than Grissom burned to death with several of his colleagues while they were testing a module. This was dangerous work. Not to mention the Challenger and Columbia disasters along with the Apollo 13 incident.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

To be someone's hero doesn't necessarily mean risking life, so yes.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Hopefully, at the very least they will be called pionneers in the future.

I don't think there can be much more than one inch of objectivity about calling someone a hero, it all belongs to the eyes of the caller.

For space guys I'd say the inch is well fulfilled yeah

[Meclazine for Israel]

Yes, but so is Evil Knievel for his contributions to science in the area of dynamic equilibrium of hip bones and the Caeser's Palace car park.

Not many dare-devils will jump his model of Harley today.

[Jesus save us]

Once we have space wars between Russia, China, US and others trying to sieze asteroid mining rights and territory on the moon and mars, those astronauts piloting the spacecraft will be veterans and casualties of war. This is one of the reasons I want America to expand NASA- we need to be in a stronger position so that we win these wars.

[Cubby]

And for trying to prove the technological and scientific superiority of the United States' system over the Communist system during the Cold War, which was at least 50% of the effort.

Not sure I'd call them heroes, since I define term as "someone who saves or helps other people" and that is what astronauts usually don't do. But they certainly were brave men.

Astronauts are absolutely heroes, they are pioneers in space just like Magellan and Cook were on Earth.

While I agree the US likes to forget and gloss over what was achieved by their enemy on Oct. 4, 1957, the fact is that police and firemen don't own the word "hero". All one of them has to do is stub their toe in the pursuit of a criminal or during a fire and the media is falling over themselves calling them heroes. I know they are saving & helping people and that's great but its also their JOB, no one else gets to fly across country on the city's dime when someone with the same occupation as them dies.

[7,052,770]

Once we have space wars between Russia, China, US and others trying to sieze asteroid mining rights and territory on the moon and mars, those astronauts piloting the spacecraft will be veterans and casualties of war. This is one of the reasons I want America to expand NASA- we need to be in a stronger position so that we win these wars.

There are so many minerals in the asteroid belt that we'll never have to fight a war over them. There's way more than enough to go around.

[angus]

Yes, both astronauts and cosmonauts risked their lives in the name of discovery and exploration. 

[Green Line]

Yeah, and so are the ones who go up today.  They are heroes to our whole species.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If astronauts are national heroes than so is Evil Kinevil.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Yes, both astronauts and cosmonauts, and spationauts and taïkonauts risked their lives in the name of discovery and exploration. 

At first I was only doing my French duty but then I figured out I could even give it a more universal taste, and I might even miss some.

What could have done Sandra Bullock without the Russian and Chinese stations? Point made.