In article ,
h (Rand Simberg) wrote:

Is that why the FAA calls them Astronauts (and grants them astronaut
wings -- c.f. Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie), too?

If you mean the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA has no
opinion on the matter, and does not grant anyone astronaut wings.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Melvill:
"In a ceremony two hours after landing, Melvill was awarded his
astronaut wings, specifically the FAA Commercial Astronaut badge, the
first wings awarded for a non-government space program and the first for
a spaceplane flight since the X-15 flights of the 1960s."

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_Badge:
"The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has granted commercial
astronaut wings to private pilots who have performed a successful
spaceflight."

If you were Henry, I think I'd be getting a T-shirt. Or is Wikipedia
wrong in both places?

Best,
- Joe