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NASA honoring Apollo-era astronauts, others with moon rocks

July 14, 2004

— In recognition of the sacrifices and dedication of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo crew members, each astronaut will be presented a moon rock-embedded award as part of a special ceremony honoring the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (July 13).

The moon rocks being awarded will be samples returned by one of the six Apollo moon landing missions. Each will be encased in acrylic and attached to a base with an inscribed plaque.

The lunar samples will remain the property of NASA, but the astronauts and their surviving families, in coordination with NASA, will select a museum or other educational institution where their awards will be publicly displayed in their name to help inspire a new generation of explorers.

The award celebrates the "realization of a vision" for exploration first articulated by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961, when NASA's fledgling human space flight program had little more than 15 minutes of space flight experience. In addition to the moon rocks, each of the 34 astronauts (nine now deceased) will be named by NASA as "Ambassadors of Exploration."

Among the honorees, in addition to the astronauts, will also be veteran journalist Walter Cronkite. Millions experienced the early years of space exploration through Cronkite's news reports. During the Apollo 11 mission, Cronkite was on the air for 27 of the 30 hours it took for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to complete their work on the lunar surface.

As Ambassadors of Exploration, the recipients will help NASA communicate the benefits and excitement of space exploration and "why the continuing investment in our future is vital to the security and vitality of America."


Ambassadors of Exploration Photo Gallery


Gene Cernan
May 12, 2005
Pensacola, Florida
Thomas Stafford
July 12, 2005
Weatherford, Oklahoma
John Young
July 20, 2005
Houston, Texas
Walt Cunningham
October 7, 2005
Dallas, Texas
Wally Schirra
November 16, 2005
San Diego, California
Richard Gordon
November 19, 2005
Seattle, Washington
Vance Brand
January 21, 2006
Longmont, Colorado
Ed Mitchell
February 5, 2006
West Palm Beach, Florida
Stuart Roosa
February 9, 2006
Titusville, Florida
Michael Collins
February 9, 2006
Garden City, New York
John Glenn
February 20, 2006
Columbus, Ohio
Deke Slayton
February 22, 2006
Sparta, Wisconsin
Walter Cronkite
February 28, 2006
Austin, Texas
Buzz Aldrin
March 25, 2006
Los Angeles, California
Neil Armstrong
April 18, 2006
Cincinnati, Ohio
Charlie Duke
May 8, 2006
St. Petersburg, Florida
Frank Borman
May 8, 2006
Tucson, Arizona
Christopher Kraft
September 30, 2006
Blacksburg, Virginia
James McDivitt
October 6, 2006
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Virgil "Gus" Grissom
September 28, 2007
Orlando, Florida
Roger Chaffee
October 6, 2007
West Lafayette, Indiana
Donn Eisele
October 23, 2007
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jack Swigert
May 23, 2008
Denver, Colorado
Thomas Mattingly
March 26, 2009
Auburn, Alabama
James Lovell
April 3, 2009
Lexington Park, Maryland
John F. Kennedy
July 20, 2009
Washington, DC
Al Worden
July 30, 2009
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Fred Haise
December 2, 2009
Biloxi, Mississippi
Alan Shepard
April 28, 2011
Annapolis, Maryland
Edward White
June 3, 2015
West Point, New York
 


NASA's Ambassador of Exploration awardees will be presented a moon rock to be displayed at a museum or educational institution of their choosing. (NASA)

Quick Look
Where NASA's Ambassador of Exploration awards are on display

Alan Shepard
 
U.S. Naval Academy Museum
Annapolis, MD (4.28.11)
Gus Grissom
 
The Space Museum and Grissom Center
Bonne Terre, MO (4.2.2022)

Previously: Disney World Resort: Epcot
Orlando, FL (9.28.07)
John Glenn
 
John Glenn Institute of Public Service and Public Policy
Columbus, OH (2.20.06)
Scott Carpenter
 
Denver Museum of Nature and Science Denver, CO (11.10.07)
Wally Schirra
 
San Diego Aerospace Museum
San Diego, CA (11.16.05)
Gordon Cooper
 
TBA
John Young
 
Museum of Natural Science
Houston, TX (7.20.05)
Jim McDivitt
 
University of Michigan College of Engineering
Ann Arbor, MI (10.06.06)
Edward White
 
West Point Museum, United States Military Academy
West Point, NY (6.03.15)
Pete Conrad
 
The Museum of Flight
Seattle, WA (11.18.06)
Frank Borman
 
Pima Air and Space Museum
Tucson, AZ (5.08.06)
James Lovell
 
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum
Lexington Park, MD (4.03.09)
Tom Stafford
 
Stafford Air and Space Museum
Weatherford, OK (7.12.05)
Neil Armstrong
 
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati, OH (4.18.06)
David Scott
 
Science Museum
London, England (TBA)
Gene Cernan
 
National Museum of Naval Aviation
Pensacola, FL (5.12.05)
Michael Collins
 
Cradle of Aviation Museum
Garden City, NY (2.09.06)
Dick Gordon
 
The Museum of Flight
Seattle, WA (11.19.05)
Buzz Aldrin
 
California Science Center
Los Angeles, CA (3.25.06)
Roger Chaffee
 
Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN (10.06.07)
Donn Eisele
 
Broward Public Library
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (10.23.07)
Walt Cunningham
 
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Dallas, TX (10.7.05)
Bill Anders
 
TBA
Rusty Schweickart
 
TBA
Alan Bean
 
TBA
Fred Haise
 
Gorenflo Elementary School
Biloxi, MS (12.02.09)
Jack Swigert
 
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
Denver, CO (5.23.08)
Stuart Roosa
 
U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
Titusville, FL (2.09.06)
Ed Mitchell
 
South Florida Science Museum
West Palm Beach, FL (2.05.06)
Jim Irwin
 
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
Bradenton, FL (8.04.21)
Al Worden
 
Apollo/Saturn V Center
Kennedy Space Center, FL (7.30.09)
Ken Mattingly
 
Auburn University
Auburn, AL (3.26.09)
Charlie Duke
 
Admiral Farragut Academy
St. Petersburg, FL (5.08.06)
Ronald Evans
 
TBA
Harrison Schmitt
 
TBA
Deke Slayton
 
Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bike Museum
Sparta, WI (2.22.06)
Vance Brand
 
Museum & Cultural Center
Longmont, CO (1.21.06)
Walter Cronkite
 
Center for American History
Austin, TX (2.28.06)
Chris Kraft
 
Virginia Tech University College of Engineering
Blacksburg, VA (9.30.06)
Gene Kranz
 
Central Catholic High School
Toledo, OH (12.6.07)
John F. Kennedy
 
Fondren Library, Rice University
Houston, TX (7.20.09)

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