— Astronauts representing more than four decades of space exploration gathered May 1 to see five of their former Space Shuttle colleagues inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

The five inductees were all members of the eighth class of NASA astronauts, the "Thirty-Five New Guys" selected in January 1978. They are: Frederick D. Gregory, Norman E. Thagard, the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, Kathryn D. Sullivan, and Richard O. Covey.

"Believe me, the selection was not an easy task," said host James Lovell, Gemini and Apollo astronaut and chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which supervises the inductions. "So many exceptional people have flown on the Shuttle."

Author Andrew Chaikin served as Master of Ceremonies. Astronauts' family members, friends and other VIPs joined hundreds of space enthusiasts at the ceremony, which took place beneath a 363-foot Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Currently serving as NASA's Deputy Administrator, Gregory is an accomplished Air Force pilot and veteran of three Space Shuttle flights. As commander of STS-33 in 1989, he became the first African-American to lead a U.S. space mission.

Accepting his induction, Gregory turned his thoughts to the future. "NASA's vision to head back to the Moon, then Mars and beyond, is a motivation and inspiration to encourage us to look beyond the status quo."

Dr. Norman Thagard pursued a degree in medicine when he returned from Vietnam, where he served as a pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He went on to fly as a mission specialist on four shuttle missions. He spent 115 days in space as a crew member of Mir 18, making him the first American to launch aboard a Russian rocket and to occupy Russia's Mir space station.

"Norm plowed a lot of new ground to be the first from the U.S. to participate with Russia," said Bob Crippen, who introduced Thagard. "And like the professional he is, he pulled it off in style."

Dick Scobee piloted mission STS 41-C in 1984. On Jan. 28, 1986, he was serving as commander of mission STS-51L when Challenger and her crew were lost 73 seconds after launch. Scobee was honored by educator astronaut Barbara Morgan, who served as a backup crew member on the Challenger flight. Morgan warmly recalled Scobee's courage and friendliness.

June Scobee Rodgers accepted on behalf of her late husband. "So many times, he's been remembered for how he died. Thank you for remembering how he lived."

Dr. Kathryn Sullivan served as a mission specialist in 1984, successfully conducting an extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk, to demonstrate that it was possible to refuel an orbiting satellite. The feat made her the first U.S. woman to walk in space.

Commenting on her current position as Chief Executive Officer of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio, former Senator John Glenn said, "Kathy has maintained a lifelong commitment to education. She is truly a scientist, first-class."

Dick Covey piloted Shuttle Discovery on STS-26 in 1988, NASA's return to flight after the Challenger accident.

"It's with great pride that I find myself among the distinguished group who are members of the Astronaut Hall of Fame," Covey said. "It's humbling to be part of that group."

At the conclusion of each presentation, Lovell placed a medal around the neck of each new inductee.

"These men and women are not just heroes because of what they did," Chaikin said. "They are heroes because they move all of humanity forward. They are heroes because they represent the best of us, and inspire us to become more than we already are."

Anna Heiney with NASA's Kennedy Space Center contributed to this article. collectSPACE editor Robert Pearlman was a member of the committee that selected this year's inductees.