[meteorite-list] Astronauts to get Moon Rocks in Name

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-071404a.html#062605

Astronauts to get moon rocks in name
collectSpace
June 26, 2005

NASA will award Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford with the
Ambassador of Exploration Award at a ceremony attended by the
astronaut's surviving Apollo- Soyuz Test Project Russian and American
crewmates. The presentation will be hosted by the Stafford Air and Space
Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma on July 12.

The award, which will feature a segment of moon rock recovered during
the Apollo 17 mission, will remain the property of NASA. It will be
placed on public display at the Stafford museum, alongside the
astronaut's Annapolis class ring and his Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Thomas Stafford flew on Gemini 6, the first rendezvous mission between
two manned spacecraft, and Gemini 9; orbited the moon on Apollo 10, and
commanded the U.S. command module that docked in orbit with a Soviet
craft during the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Joining Stafford for the moon rock presentation will be cosmonauts
Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov of the Soyuz crew and Vance Brand, who
flew aboard Apollo. Deke Slayton, the third American ASTP crew member
passed away on July 12, 1993.

The award ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. in Weatherford.

As an Ambassador of Exploration, Stafford will help the space agency
convey the benefits of space exploration and work to inspire students to
pursue careers in science, mathematics and engineering.

The Ambassador of Exploration Award was announced last July during the
35th anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. It
recognizes the sacrifices and dedication of the Apollo, Gemini and
Mercury veterans.

Each astronaut or their surviving family will be presented with a lunar
sample, part of the 842 pounds of moon rock and soil returned during the
six moon landings from 1969 to 1972. CBS anchor Walter Cronkite is also
an honoree.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


May 12, 2005 -- Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan today received NASA's
first Ambassador of Exploration Award during the Naval Aviation
Symposium at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. The award,
which features a piece of moon rock, will remain on display at the
National Museum of Naval Aviation.

In a letter read to Cernan at today's symposium, NASA Administrator
Michael Griffin wrote, "Your outstanding service on three space
missions, including two Apollo voyages to the moon, and your challenge
to America's youth to 'take us back out there where we belong,' have
demonstrated the essence of what our Ambassador of Exploration Awards
are all about."

The Ambassador of Exploration Award was announced last July during the
35th anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. It
recognizes the sacrifices and dedication of the Apollo, Gemini and
Mercury veterans.


Each astronaut or their surviving family will be presented with a lunar
sample, part of the 842 pounds of moon rock and soil returned during the
six moon landings from 1969 to 1972. CBS anchor Walter Cronkite is also
an honoree.

Cernan, a Captain in the U.S. Navy, left his mark on the history of
exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the moon. He also
holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and
the last human to leave his footprints on the lunar surface.

He was one of 14 astronauts selected in October 1963. He piloted the
Gemini 9 mission with Commander Tom Stafford on a three-day flight in
June 1966. Cernan logged more than two hours outside the orbiting capsule.

In May 1969, he was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 10, the first lunar
orbit test of the lunar module. The mission confirmed the performance,
stability, and reliability of the Apollo spacecraft. The flight included
coming within eight miles of the moon's surface.

Cernan ended his astronaut career as commander of the final manned
mission to the moon in December 1972. Apollo 17 set several new records
for human space flight, including the longest lunar landing flight (301
hours, 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22
hours, 6 minutes); largest lunar sample return (nearly 249 pounds); and
longest time in lunar orbit (147 hours, 48 minutes).

As he left the lunar surface, Cernan said, "America's challenge of today
has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. As we leave the moon and
Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return,
with peace and hope for all mankind."

The Ambassador of Exploration Awards remains NASA's property. The
recipients, working with the space agency, select a museum or other
educational institution where their awards will be displayed in their
name to help inspire a new generation of explorers.

As an Ambassador of Exploration, the recipients will help NASA
communicate the benefits of space exploration and work to inspire
students to pursue careers in science, mathematics and engineering.