The word astronauts in the sentence is functioning as the direct object.
Direct objects are often a noun phrase that refers to a person or thing that <u>receives</u> the action of the verb. In order to spot a direct object within a sentence, remember to ask yourself “who” or “what” is receiving the action. The answer in this case would be: <em>"the austronauts". </em>
"Focused on helping his neighbors" is a participial phrase. A phrase is made up of a group of words, without a subject and a verb. It functions as a single part of speech. A phrase consists of a participle and includes modifiers and complements.
