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U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Induction of Four Space Shuttle Astronauts on May 30

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U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® Celebrates 25th Anniversary with
Induction of Four Space Shuttle Astronauts on May 30
 
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to Host Induction Ceremony at Space Shuttle AtlantisSM
 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (May 22, 2015) – KENNEDY SPACE CENTER –Veteran space shuttle astronauts John Grunsfeld, Steve Lindsey, Kent Rominger and Rhea Seddon will be honored for their contributions to NASA and the space industry as they are inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® (AHOF) May 30. The public induction ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at Space Shuttle AtlantisSM at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
 
More than 20 legendary astronauts and space icons are expected to attend this event to welcome the inductees.
 
Grunsfeld, Lindsey, Rominger and Seddon will join the ranks of well-known space explorers such as Alan Shepard, John Glenn, John Young, Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride and Eileen Collins as members of the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
 
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the induction of these four accomplished astronauts brings the Hall of Fame to 91 honored heroes.Earlier inductees represent the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs.
 
The 2015 AHOF inductees have all accomplished great feats as astronauts and scientists:

  • Grunsfeld completed eight spacewalks over the course of his five space shuttle missions. He worked heavily with the Hubble Space Telescope carrying out three of its five servicing missions.

 

  • Lindsey was pilot and commander of five space shuttle missions. During his last flight, he commanded the 39th and final flight of space shuttle Discovery that delivered Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space, to the International Space Station (ISS).

 

  • Rominger flew aboard five space shuttle missions and was commander of STS-96 Discovery, the first docking of the space shuttle to the ISS.

 

  • Seddon was selected by NASA in 1978 as part of the first U.S. astronaut class to include women. A veteran of three space flights, Seddon served on STS-58 Columbia as a mission specialist during the first Spacelab Life Sciences flight.

Astronaut photo opportunities and signings will take place on the top floor Space Shuttle Atlantis on Saturday, May 30 before the induction. On Sunday, May 31,Seddon, will sign copies of her new memoir, Go For Orbit, a look at her journeys in space as one of the first female astronauts.
 
Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Schedule
 
Saturday:

  • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Astronaut appearances, signing and photo opportunities on the top floor of Space Shuttle Atlantis
    • 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
      • Astronauts Dick Covey and Frank Culbertson
    • 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
      • Astronauts Al Worden and Bob Crippen
  • 2 p.m.: U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony under Space Shuttle Atlantis.

 
Sunday:

  • 3 p.m.: Book signing by Rhea Seddon, at the Space Shop.

 
The 2015 inductees were selected by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians and journalists. The process is administered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. To be eligible, an astronaut must have made his or her first flight at least 17 years before the induction. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen and a NASA-trained commander, pilot or mission specialist who has orbited the earth at least once.