Why “cosmonautics” is a great word
COSMONAUTICS — [Noun] The science, technology, and practice of spaceflight, particularly as associated with the Soviet and Russian space programs. From cosmonaut (from Russian космонавт, from Greek kosmos ("universe, order") + nautēs ("sailor")) + -ics ("art, science, study of"). The term was introduced in the 1930s by Ary Sternfeld in his French book 'Initiation à la Cosmonautique'. Unlike "aeronautics," which concerns flight within Earth's atmosphere, or "astronautics," its largely synonymous but culturally neutral counterpart, cosmonautics is freighted with a distinct geopolitical gravity. It is the stark beep of Sputnik passing over a darkened countryside, the metallic taste of recycled air in a Vostok capsule, and the cold hiss of a valve sealing on a Baikonur launchpad—the art of sailing an ordered cosmos, born from a very earthly contest.