NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson was honored on Nov. 7 in his hometown by the Philadelphia Eagles. Ferguson was named Honorary Captain during the NFL's "Monday Night Football" game. The Eagles hosted the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson threw out the first pitch Sunday night for the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Houston. It was the first word from the moon, and the city has served as the home of Mission Control and the nation’s human spaceflight program for more than 40 years. But even though Houston has been the home of NASA's astronaut corps for decades, the city has never had a hometown astronaut -- until now.
Astronaut John Grunsfeld, who flew three times to service Hubble, is leaving NASA to become the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Astronaut and U.S. Air Force Colonel Mike Fincke has taken the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers to new heights! During his command of Expedition 18 onboard the International Space Station, Fincke flew the iconic “Terrible Towel” for his favorite team and sent a message to them for their 2009 Super Bowl game.
Almost four decades after graduating from West Point, astronaut Bill McArthur was invited to return to his alma mater as part of the Army’s annual homecoming celebration and NASA’s Hometown Heroes campaign.
Astronaut Mike Massimino, the first human to tweet from space, recently became the first astronaut to reach one million followers on Twitter.
In late August, the St. Louis Cardinals took NASA Astronaut Sandra Magnus to the ball game to throw out the first pitch. Magnus isn’t part of the Cardinals’ starting line-up, but she is a hometown hero.
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell cannot tell you where she was when man first stepped on the moon, since she was born after Apollo 11 landed, but she can tell you where she was on the 40th anniversary. She threw out the first pitch at a San Diego Padres baseball game.
NASA Astronaut Greg H. Johnson returned to his home state of Ohio on a mission to increase awareness and excitement for two major space exploration milestones.
NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld spent a whirlwind two days in Chicago talking to kids and the public about the importance of space exploration.
NASA astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough had two dreams growing up as a child; to be an astronaut and to play baseball.
Johnson Space Center Deputy Director Ellen Ochoa has been chosen as the first woman to receive the Engineer of the Year award by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference.
In April, astronaut Garrett Reisman performed an unprecedented event in space when he threw out the first pitch at a Yankees game from onboard the International Space Station.
Dan Tani's Aug. 20 visit to his hometown of Chicago was the sixth stop on NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 campaign.
Col. Bob Cabana's Aug. 11 visit to his hometown of Minneapolis was the fourth stop on NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 campaign.
Recently the city of Seattle, Wash., extended its connection to space beyond the Space Needle tower when it received a visit from astronaut Clay Anderson.
NASA astronaut Terry Virts throws out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
NASA astronaut Clay Anderson appears in Kansas City, Mo., for NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 Campaign.
The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inducted Loren Shriver, Bryan O'Connor, John Blaha and Robert Cabana into its elite ranks of space explorers.
Follow Scott Parazynski's most recent expedition, and learn more about the parallels of mountain climbing and space exploration.
NASA astronauts are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Clay Anderson could replace The Little Engine That Could as the mascot for persistence.
Becoming an astronaut is hard – a lot harder than Danny Olivas ever thought it would be. But hard in a good way.
Leland Melvin never meant to become an astronaut. What impressed him was chemistry.
For Eileen Collins, who retired in May, it seems an astronaut’s work is never done.
Twists in her path lead Joan Higginbotham to space.
For Stephanie Wilson, becoming an astronaut meant learning to swim before learning to soar.
Happenstance is Suni Williams’ answer to the question of how she became an astronaut.
Take a virtual tour of the orbital outpost.
What makes NASA's space explorers tick? Find out in the Astronaut Flight Lounge
NASA Astronaut Michael Gernhardt recalls his spacewalking experiences and what inspired him to "greater heights."
› View This VideoAstronaut Nicole Stott's return to Earth marked a first and a last.
› View This VideoNEEMO, or NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a project that takes place at an underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida. Engineers and astronauts test concepts for future space exploration here.