Indian Human Spaceflight Program - Terminology

Terminology

The term Aakashagami (meaning 'sky traveller'), is a literary word in Sanskrit, similar to the word 'astronaut'. 'Brahmāndagami'(Brahmānda- space and Gami-traveller) is another Sanskrit word literally meaning 'space traveller'. However, the designation Gaganaut, derived from gagana (meaning 'the heavens' or 'vast sky above us'), has become popular amongst the Indian space community as a term for Indian astronauts. The term Antariksha yaatri has been suggested as a more proper name (antariksha signifies space beyond our Earth and yaatri means 'traveller'), and this is the name used in official documents, as well as the Indian media. Other suggestions include vishvanaut (vishva- world, this reality) and brahmanaut (brahmand- universe). Having considered several terms, Vyomanaut has been finalised by ISRO. The term Vyomanaut stands for Vyoma which means space or sky in Sankrit.