U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2009
Saturday - May 2, 2009
George "Pinky" Nelson, William Shepherd and Jim Wetherbee will join an elite group of American space heroes as they are inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame during a public ceremony at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Saturday, May 2, 2009. They will be welcomed to the ranks of legendary space pioneers like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Sally Ride and John Young – distinguished members of this unique Hall of Fame.
This is the eighth group of space shuttle astronauts named to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Earlier inductees represent the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs. The addition of Nelson, one of only four space shuttle astronauts to fly the Manned Maneuvering Unit untethered in space; Shepherd, commander of the first crew to man the International Space Station; and Wetherbee, commander of the longest docked shuttle-Mir mission, will bring the number of space explorers enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 73.
The public is invited to witness heroes honoring heroes at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Admission to the Induction Ceremony viewing is included with admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Hall of Fame astronauts currently scheduled to attend include:
John Blaha, Vance Brand, Dan Brandenstein, Scott Carpenter, Jerry Carr, Robert Crippen, Walt Cunningham, Charles Duke, Gordon Fullerton, Owen Garriott, Ed Gibson, Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Richard Gordon, Fred Gregory, Hank Hartsfield, Rick Hauck, Steven Hawley, Jeff Hoffman, James Lovell, Bruce McCandless, Edgar Mitchell, Brewster Shaw, Loren Shriver and Al Worden.
View the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame 2009 Inducton Bios
View the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame 2009 Induction Schedule of Events