NASA Distinguished Service Medal

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).

File:Webb-nasa-distinguished-ser.png

James Webb's award, 1 November 1968

Recipients

1959

• John W. Crowley, Jr., NASA Director of Aeronautical and Space Research<ref>Morris, John S. (1961) "President Will Give Medal to Astronaut", The New York Times, May 7, 1961.</ref>

1961

• Alan Shepard (May 8) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Virgil I. Grissom (July 22)<ref name = grissom>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1962

• John Glenn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Robert Gilruth<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Scott Carpenter<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Wally Schirra (October 15)
• Forrest S. Petersen,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Robert White, X-15 pilot
• Joseph A. Walker, X-15 pilot
• Walter C. Williams

1963

• Gordon Cooper<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1965

• Wally Schirra (December 30) (second award)

1968

• James Webb
• Alexander Flax

1970

• Edwin E. Aldrin
• Neil A. Armstrong
• Alan L. Bean
• Michael Collins
• Charles Conrad
• Richard F. Gordon
• Fred W. Haise
• James A. Lovell (second award)
• Thomas O. Paine
• John L. Swigert

1971

• Charles J. Donlan
• James B. Irwin
• Vincent L. Johnson
• Walter J. Kapryan
• Eugene F. Kranz
• Bruce T. Lundin
• Glynn S. Lunney
• James A. McDivitt
• Edgar D. Mitchell
• Bernard Moritz
• Dale D. Myers
• Oran W. Nicks
• Stuart A. Roosa
• David R. Scott (second award)
• Alan B. Shepard (second award)
• Sigurd A. Sjoberg
• John W. Townsend
• Alfred M. Worden

1972

• Charles M. Duke
• Paul Werner Gast
• William R. Lucas
• Hans M. Mark
• Thomas K. Mattingly
• Richard C. McCurdy
• William T. Pecora
• Dan Schneiderman
• John W. Young (second award)

1980

• William H. Bayley

1981

• Robert L. Crippen<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Paul C. Donnelly
• Howard S. Hardcastle<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• James B. Odom<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Andrew J. Stofan
• John F. Yardley
• Walter C. Williams (second award)

1984

• Robert O. Aller<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1988

• Willis H. Shapley<ref name="WPOBIT">Template:Cite news</ref> (second award)

1991

• John R. Casani

1992

• Berrien Moore III
• Mark Albrecht
• Story Musgrave<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1994

• Joseph H Rothenberg

1995

• Dr. Charles J. Pellerin
• Bill G. Aldridge<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1996

• Gerald M. Smith
• William J. O'Neil

1997

• Jerome Apt

2000

• Joseph H Rothenberg

2001

• Jack Brooks
• Claude Nicollier
• Courtney Stadd<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• James S. Voss<ref>James Voss Template:Webarchive</ref>
• Joseph Philip Loftus

2002

• Scott E. Parazynski

2004

• Kalpana Chawla
• William McCool<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Axel Roth<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Brock "Randy" Stone
• Lott W. Brantley Jr.
• G. Scott Hubbard
• Edward T. Lu

2005

• Firouz Naderi<ref>JPL - JPL's New Associate Director Led Successful Mars Exploration</ref>

2006

• Eileen M. Collins<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2007

• Douglas Hendriksen<ref>NASA – Tampa Native Hendriksen Receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal</ref>

2008

• Walter Cunningham
• Donn Eisele
• Fuk Li
• Walter Schirra (Third Award)
• E. Myles Standish
• Richard Sunseri

2009

• Christopher Scolese<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Stephanie D. Wilson

2010

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2018

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2019

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See also

• List of NASA awards

External links

• NASA awards
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards (1969–1978)
• List of NASA medal recipients