United States Astronaut

UNITED STATES ASTRONAUT -  The astronaut badge is a badge of the United States, awarded to military pilots, naval flight officers, navigators/combat systems officers (this badge can also be awarded to USAF officer astronauts who are not navigators/CSOs, but who wear the same insignia while designated as astronaut-qualified Air Force "observers"), flight surgeons, and civilian pilots who have completed training and performed a successful space flight.  A variation of the astronaut badge is also issued to civilians who are employed with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as specialists on spaceflight missions.  It is the least awarded qualification badge of the United States military.

Each of the military services issues its own version of the astronaut badge, which consists of a standard aviation badge with an astronaut device (shooting star through a halo) centered on the badge's shield, or escutcheon.  The United States Army and Air Force astronaut badges are issued in three degrees: Basic, senior, and master/command.  The senior astronaut badge is denoted by a star centered above the decoration, while the master/command level is indicated by a star and wreath.

U.S. Army astronauts - The gold astronaut device is issued by the U.S. Army to Army aviators, flight surgeons, and aircrew members that qualify as astronauts.  The astronaut device is a gold shooting star and elliptical orbit which is affixed over the shield of previously awarded Army aviation badges.  Army astronauts that have yet to fly a mission and have not previously been awarded any aviation badge are awarded the army aviation badge.  Once they have flown a mission, they are awarded the Astronaut Device which is affixed to the shield of their army aviation badge.  The shooting star and orbit representation is meant to imply the astronaut's theater of operations, space.  The army astronaut device was approved on May 17, 1983.  The black version of the device and its sew-on equivalent may be worn on the Army Combat Uniform(ACU); the silver wings with gold device version is authorized for wear on Army Service Uniforms.  It is believed to be the rarest badge issued by the U.S. Army.

U.S. Air Force astronauts - The U.S. Air Force astronaut badge consists of a standard USAF aeronautical badge upon which is centered the astronaut device.  The Air Force does not consider astronaut to be a separate rating from its six established rating badges, but as a "qualifier" to them, and may only be awarded by the Air Force Chief of Staff after written application upon completion of an operational space mission.  The rating of observer is used for USAF mission specialists who have completed training but not a mission and are not otherwise aeronautically rated as a USAF pilot or USAF navigator.

U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard astronauts - The naval astronaut insignias are issued in a single degree to naval aviators and flight officers from the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard, with officers of all three branches receiving their designations as aviators or flight officers through the naval aviation flight training program.  All three branches also wear the same insignia which consists of naval aviator insignia or naval flight officer insignia with a centered gold astronaut device.  However, the Coast Guard only issues the naval flight officer version of the astronaut insignia under the name "Coast Guard Astronaut insignia."

Civilian badges - NASA has a civilian astronaut badge, which is issued to civilian personnel who participate in U.S. space missions.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also grants commercial astronaut wings to commercial pilots who have performed a successful spaceflight. Currently, only Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie have these wings.