NASA Distinguished Service Medal

NASA Distinguished Service Medal
	NASA Distinguished Service Medal
	Awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Country	United States
Type	Medal
Eligibility	Government employees only
Awarded for	"distinguished service, ability, or courage, [that] has...made a contribution representing substantial progress to aeronautical or space exploration in the interests of the United States"
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	July 29, 1959
First awarded	1959
Precedence
Next (higher)	Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Equivalent	Distinguished Public Service Medal
Next (lower)	Outstanding Leadership Medal
	; NASA Distinguished Service Ribbon

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The medal may be presented to any member of the federal government, including both military astronauts and civilian employees.

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to those who display distinguished service, ability, or courage, and have personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.

Typical presentations of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal included awards to senior NASA administrators, mission control leaders, and astronauts who have completed several successful space flights. Due to the prestige of the award, the decoration is authorized for wear on active uniforms of the United States military. Another such authorized decoration is the NASA Space Flight Medal.

Upon the recommendation of NASA, the president may award an even higher honor to astronauts, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

The medal was original awarded by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was inherited by NASA. The first NASA version (type I), featuring the NASA seal, was issued from 1959 until 1964, when it was replaced by the current type II medal (shown).

James Webb's award, 1 November 1968

RecipientsEdit

1959Edit

John W. Crowley, Jr., NASA Director of Aeronautical and Space Research^[1]

1961Edit

Alan Shepard (May 8)
Virgil I. Grissom (July 22)

1962Edit

1963Edit

Gordon Cooper^[3]

1965Edit

Wally Schirra (December 30)

1968Edit

James Webb

1969Edit

1970Edit

1971Edit

1972Edit

1973Edit

1974Edit

1975Edit

1976Edit

1977Edit

1978Edit

1981Edit

1992Edit

1995Edit

Dr. Charles J. Pellerin

1996Edit

Gerald M. Smith

2000Edit

No awards

2001Edit

2002Edit

Scott E. Parazynski

2003Edit

2004Edit

2007Edit

Douglas Hendriksen^[10]

2008Edit

2009Edit

2010Edit

^[12]

2011Edit

2012Edit

Frank J. Benz^[13]
Byron Butler
Sam V. Digesu
Christopher J. Ferguson
David C. Folta
Michael E. Fossum
Mark E. Kelly
Alan J. Lindenmoyer
David M. Martin^[14]
Ann McNair
Robert R. Meyer
Martin G. Mlynczak
Philip E. Phillips^[14]
Craig L. Purdy
Daniel C. Reda
Joseph Savino
Phillip A. Sabelhaus
Peter J. Serlemitsos
Robert M. Stephens
Michael T. Suffredini
Richard Zurek

2015Edit

Raymond G. Clinton Jr.
Carl Preston Jones

2016Edit

James O. Arnold
Perry L. Becker
Jeri Buchholz
Ricky W. Butler
Edward R. Generazio
Linda M. Jensen
Jack King
Jennifer C. Kunz
Michael F. O'Brien
William Oegerle
Patrick Scheuermann
Piers J. Sellers
J. William Sikora
Teresa Vanhooser

2017Edit

Dolores A. Holland

ReferencesEdit

^ Morris, John S. (1961) "President Will Give Medal to Astronaut", The New York Times, May 7, 1961.
^ "mach-buster.co.uk".
^ "President Kennedy Awards the NASA Distinguished Service Medal to Major Gordon Cooper, 21 May 1963".
^ "Astronaut Bio: Robert L. Crippen (07\2001)".
^ "Astronaut Bio: Franklin Story Musgrave (M.D.)".
^ "Chief Of Staff Courtney Stadd Announces Plans To Leave Agency". NASA Newsroom. May 27, 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
^ James Voss
^ "Astronaut Bio: William McCool 5/04".
^ "NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Honors Employees at Annual Awards Ceremony".
^ NASA - Tampa Native Hendriksen Receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal
^ "Christopher Scolese Receives the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (200908120001HQ)".
^ "NASA Agency Honor Awards 2010" (PDF). NASA.
^ "Distinguished Service Medal" (PDF).
^ ^a ^b "NASA Awards" (PDF). Spaceport News. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.

External linksEdit

[1] Morris, John S. (1961) "President Will Give Medal to Astronaut", The New York Times, May 7, 1961.

[2] "mach-buster.co.uk".

[3] "President Kennedy Awards the NASA Distinguished Service Medal to Major Gordon Cooper, 21 May 1963".

[4] "Astronaut Bio: Robert L. Crippen (07\2001)".

[5] "Astronaut Bio: Franklin Story Musgrave (M.D.)".

[6] "Chief Of Staff Courtney Stadd Announces Plans To Leave Agency". NASA Newsroom. May 27, 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2017.

[7] James Voss

[8] "Astronaut Bio: William McCool 5/04".

[9] "NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Honors Employees at Annual Awards Ceremony".

[10] NASA - Tampa Native Hendriksen Receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal

[11] "Christopher Scolese Receives the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (200908120001HQ)".

[12] "NASA Agency Honor Awards 2010" (PDF). NASA.

[13] "Distinguished Service Medal" (PDF).

[spnSep72012-14] "NASA Awards" (PDF). Spaceport News. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.

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NASA Distinguished Service Medal
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Country	United States
Type	Medal
Eligibility	Government employees only
Awarded for	"distinguished service, ability, or courage, [that] has...made a contribution representing substantial progress to aeronautical or space exploration in the interests of the United States"
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	July 29, 1959
First awarded	1959
Precedence
Next (higher)	Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Equivalent	Distinguished Public Service Medal
Next (lower)	Outstanding Leadership Medal
NASA Distinguished Service Ribbon

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