Only in America: An astronaut by any other name

A former astronaut who's running for Congress is sued for calling himself an astronaut — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

An astronaut by any other name
(Image credit: nasa.gov)

A former space shuttle astronaut is going to court for the right to call himself an astronaut. Democrat Jose Hernandez is running for Congress in California's 10th District, but a lawsuit filed by a firm with ties to his GOP opponent demands that the word "astronaut" not appear next to Hernandez's name on the official ballot, on the grounds that "astronaut is not a title one carries for life."

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