Congressional Space Medal of Honor

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
in 1969 to recognize "any astronaut

Astronaut

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a List of human spaceflight programs to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
who in the performance of his duties has distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and mankind." It is awarded by the President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
in Congress's name on recommendations from the NASA Administrator.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Congressional Space Medal of Honor'

Start a new discussion about 'Congressional Space Medal of Honor'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress

United States Congress

Astronaut

President of the United States

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest Awards and decorations of the United States military awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action...
, which is a military award for extreme bravery and gallantry in combat.

Although the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is a civilian award of the United States government, it is authorized as a military decoration

Awards and decorations of the United States military

Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces....
for display on U.S. military uniforms due to the prestige of the decoration. In such cases, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is worn as a ribbon following all United States Armed Forces decorations.

To be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, an astronaut must perform feats of extraordinary accomplishment while participating in actual space flight under the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Typically, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is awarded for scientific discoveries or actions of tremendous benefit to mankind. The decoration may also be awarded for extreme bravery during a space emergency or in preventing a major space disaster. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor may also be presented posthumously to those astronauts who died in the line of duty while performing a United States space mission, and as of 2008 all 17 astronauts killed on U.S. missions have been awarded the medal.

Recipients

As of 2006, 28 astronauts have been honored with the award, half of whom died in either the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight leading to the deaths of its seven crew members....
or the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107....
. The ^† symbol indicates a posthumous award.

Name	Date	Awarded by	Notes
Armstrong Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He is List of Apollo astronauts#People who have walked on the Moon Moon....	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Apollo 11 Apollo 11 The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the fifth human spaceflight of Apollo program and the third human voyage to the Moon.... (Commander of the first lunar landing)
Borman Frank Borman Frank Borman Frank Frederick Borman, II is a retired NASA astronaut, best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, making him, along with fellow crew mates Jim Lovell and William Anders, the List of Apollo astronauts#People who flew around the Moon without landing....	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Apollo 8 Apollo 8 Apollo 8 was the first manned space voyage to achieve a velocity sufficient to allow escape from the gravitational field of planet Earth; the first to escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first manned voyage to return to planet Earth from another celestial body.... (Commander of the first lunar orbit)
Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad Pete Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. , was an United States astronaut and the List of Apollo astronauts. He also described himself as the first man to dance on the Moon....	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Skylab 2 Skylab 2 Skylab 2 was the first human spaceflight mission to Skylab, the first United States orbital space station. The mission was launched on a Saturn IB rocket and carried a three-person crew to the station.... (first Skylab Commander)
Glenn John Glenn John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. is a former astronaut who became the third person and first American to orbit the Earth, and later, United States Senate....	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Mercury-Atlas 6 Mercury-Atlas 6 The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission was the first attempt by the United States and Project Mercury to place an astronaut in orbit. The MA-6 mission was launched on February 20, 1962, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.... (first American in orbit)
Grissom Virgil "Gus" Grissom Gus Grissom Virgil Ivan Grissom, more widely known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force Aviator.... ^†	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Apollo 1 Apollo 1 Apollo 1 is the official name that was later given to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket.... and Gemini 3 Gemini 3 Gemini 3 was a 1965 manned space flight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the first manned Project Gemini flight, the seventh manned American flight and the 17th manned spaceflight from Earth of all time .... (Commander of the first manned Gemini)
Shepard Alan Shepard Alan Shepard Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was the second person and the first United States in space. He later commanded the Apollo 14 mission, and was the List of Apollo astronauts....	1978-10-01October 1, 1978	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	Mercury-Redstone 3 Mercury-Redstone 3 Mercury-Redstone 3 was a United States Mercury program manned space mission launched on May 5, 1961 using a Redstone , from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.... (first American in space)
Young John W. Young	1981-05-19May 19, 1981	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....	STS-1 STS-1 STS-1, STS -1, was the first flight of the Space Shuttle program, launched on April 12 1981, and returning to Earth April 14. Space Shuttle Columbia orbited the earth 37 times in this 54.5-hour mission.... (Commander of the first shuttle flight)
Stafford Thomas P. Stafford Thomas Patten Stafford Thomas Patten Stafford is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant General and a former NASA astronaut. He is one of only List_of_Apollo_astronauts#People_who_flew_around_the_Moon_without_landing....	1993-01-19January 19, 1993	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Bush held a variety of political positions prior to his presidency, including Vice President of the United States in the administration of Ronald Reagan and Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R....	Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission_name = ASTP Apollo\|insignia = ASTPpatch.png\|crew_size = 3\|command_module = CMmass \|spacecraft_mass = total... (U. S. Commander)
Lovell James Lovell Jim Lovell James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., is a former NASA astronaut and a former Captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered an explosion en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control....	1995-07-26July 26, 1995	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	Apollo 13 Apollo 13 Apollo 13 was the third manned lunar-landing mission, part of Project Apollo under NASA in the United States. The crew members were Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module pilot Jack Swigert, and Lunar Module pilot Fred W.... (Commander of the ill-fated mission)
Lucid Shannon Lucid Shannon Lucid Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid is an United States biochemist and a NASA astronaut. At one time, she held the record for the longest duration stay in space by a woman....	1996-12-02December 2, 1996	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	Longest female spaceflight (passed by Sunita Williams Sunita Williams Sunita Williams is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15.... ) First civilian recipient (previous recipients were military officers)
Chaffee Roger Chaffee^†	1997-12-17December 17, 1997	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	Died aboard Apollo 1 Apollo 1 Apollo 1 is the official name that was later given to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket....
White Edward White Edward Higgins White Edward Higgins White, II was a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. On June 3 1965, he became the first American to conduct a Extra-vehicular activity.... ^†	1997-12-17December 17, 1997	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	Apollo 1 Apollo 1 Apollo 1 is the official name that was later given to the never-flown Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. Its command module was destroyed by fire during a test and training exercise on January 27 1967 at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket.... and Gemini 4 Gemini 4 Gemini 4 was a June 1965 manned space flight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 2nd manned Project Gemini flight, the 10th manned American flight and the 18th spaceflight of all time .... (first U.S. space walk Extra-vehicular activity Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon .... )
Shepherd William Shepherd William Shepherd William McMichael Shepherd is a former American astronaut who served as commander of Expedition 1, the first crew on the International Space Station....	2003-01-15January 15, 2003	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	Expedition 1 Expedition 1 Expedition 1 was the first expedition to the International Space Station.... (first ISS Commander)
Husband Rick Husband^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster The *Space Shuttle Columbia* disaster** occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107.... )
McCool Willie McCool^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia)
Anderson Michael P. Anderson^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia)
Chawla Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla , was an Indian-American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist. She was one of seven crewmembers killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.... ^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia)
Brown David M. Brown^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia)
Clark Laurel B. Clark Laurel B. Clark Laurel Blair Salton Clark was a medical doctor, United States Navy Captain , NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle mission specialist who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.... ^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia)
Ramon Ilan Ramon Ilan Ramon Ilan Ramon was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of Space Shuttle Columbia, where he and six other crew members were killed in a re-entry accident over Southern Texas.... ^†	2004-02-03February 3, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-107 STS-107 STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit.... (died aboard Columbia, only non-U.S. citizen recipient)
Scobee Dick Scobee Dick Scobee Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee was an United States astronaut who was killed commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger, which suffered catastrophic Booster rocket failure during launch of the STS-51-L mission.... ^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger disaster The *Space Shuttle Challenger* disaster** occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.... )
Smith Michael Smith^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger)
Resnik Judith Resnik Judith Resnik Judith Arlene Resnik was an United States engineer and a NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of the Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Challenger during the launch of mission STS-51-L.... ^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger)
McNair Ronald McNair Ronald McNair Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was an African American physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair perished during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.... ^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger)
Onizuka Ellison Onizuka Ellison Onizuka Ellison Shoji Onizuka was a Japanese American astronaut from Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii who died during the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L.... ^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger)
Jarvis Greg Jarvis^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger)
McAuliffe Christa McAuliffe Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe , better known simply as Christa McAuliffe n?e Sharon Christa Corrigan, was an United States teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, New Hampshire.... ^†	2004-07-23July 23, 2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-51-L STS-51-L STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle.... (died aboard Challenger, teacher Teacher in Space Project The Teacher in Space Project began as a NASA program announced by President Ronald Reagan on August 27, 1984. The goal was to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in mathematics, science, and space exploration.... )
Crippen Robert Crippen Robert Crippen Robert Laurel Crippen is a former USN and NASA astronaut, and flew on four Space Shuttle missions , including three as commander. Crippen is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor....	2006-04-26April 26, 2006	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	STS-1 STS-1 STS-1, STS -1, was the first flight of the Space Shuttle program, launched on April 12 1981, and returning to Earth April 14. Space Shuttle Columbia orbited the earth 37 times in this 54.5-hour mission.... (first shuttle flight, Pilot)