The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can 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).
Recipients
1959 John W. Crowley, NASA Director of Aeronautical and Space ResearchMorris, John S. (1961) "President Will Give Medal to Astronaut", The New York Times, May 7, 1961.
1961 Alan Shepard (May 8) Virgil I. Grissom (July 22)
1962 John Glenn Robert Gilruth Scott Carpenter Wally Schirra (October 15) Forrest S. Petersen, X-15 pilot Robert White, X-15 pilot Joseph A. Walker, X-15 pilot Walter C. Williams
1963 Gordon Cooper
1965 Wally Schirra (December 30) (second award)
1966 Hugh L. Dryden T. Keith Glennan Charles W. Mathews George E. Mueller Bernard A. Schriever
1967 Raymond L. Bisplinghoff Edgar M. Cortright Homer E. Newell Walter D. Sohier Floyd L. Thompson
1968 James Webb Alexander Flax
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1980 William H. Bayley
1981 Robert L. Crippen Paul C. Donnelly Howard S. Hardcastle James B. Odom Andrew J. Stofan John F. Yardley Walter C. Williams (second award) David Williamson Jr. (second award)
1982
1983
1984 Robert O. Aller
1985
1986
1987 Leslie H. Meredith
1988 Willis H. Shapley (second award)
1989
1990
1991 John R. Casani
1992 Berrien Moore III Mark Albrecht Story Musgrave
1993
1994 Joseph H. Rothenberg
1995 Bill G. Aldridge
1996 Gerald M. Smith William J. O'Neil
1997 Jerome Apt
2000 Joseph H. Rothenberg
2001 Jack Brooks Claude Nicollier Courtney Stadd James S. VossJames Voss Joseph Philip Loftus
2002 Scott E. Parazynski
2004 Kalpana Chawla William McCool Axel Roth Brock "Randy" Stone Lott W. Brantley Jr. G. Scott Hubbard Edward T. Lu
2005 Alphonso V. Diaz Firouz NaderiJPL - JPL's New Associate Director Led Successful Mars Exploration
2006
Eileen M. Collins
2007 Douglas Hendriksen
2008 Walter Cunningham Donn Eisele Fuk Li Walter Schirra (Third Award) E. Myles Standish Richard Sunseri
2009 Christopher Scolese Stephanie D. Wilson
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Roy W. Malone, Jr.
2021
David A. Herda Paul K. McConnaughey H. Phil Stahl Bobby J. Watkins
See also List of NASA awards
References
External links
NASA awards National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards (1969–1978) List of NASA medal recipients