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CONGRESSIONAL SPACE MEDAL OF HONOR
SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF CURRENT ASTRONAUTS
SOURCE:  Information Summaries
Astronaut Fact Book
February, 1992

In honor of NASA's 20th anniversary, President Jimmy Carter visited NASA John
F. Kennedy Space Center on October 1, 1978 and awarded the first Congressional
Space Medal of Honor to six former astronauts.

Authorized by Congress in 1969, the award recognized "any astronaut who in the
performance of his duties has distinguished himself by exceptionally
meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and
mankind."

These former astronauts received this special honor:

NEIL A. ARMSTRONG, for actions to overcome problems on the Gemini 8 mission and
for Apollo 11 when he took his "...giant leap for mankind."

FRANK BORMAN, who commanded the Gemini 7 and Apollo 8 missions.  The latter was
the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon.

CHARLES CONRAD, Jr., who participated in four space flights of increasing
duration, complexity and achievement:  Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, and
Skylab 2.  On the first manned Skylab mission, he commanded the crew which
performed repairs to the damaged orbital workshop, thus saving the $2 billion
program from potential failure.

JOHN H. GLENN, Jr., who in Mercury 6 was the first American to orbit the Earth.
The success of his flight demonstrated the value of the human pilot in space.

VIRGIL I. GRISSOM (posthumously), the second American in space, who took part
in Mercury and Gemini flights and lost his life during preparations for the
first Apollo flight.  He flew on Mercury 4 and Gemini 3.

ALAN B. SHEPARD, Jr., who was the first American in space, aboard Mercury 3.
He also commanded the Apollo 14 mission.

On May 19, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented the medal to a seventh
astronaut:

JOHN W. YOUNG, who demonstrated leadership, courage, and technical skill in a
space flight career that spanned two decades and five (at that time) space
flights pivotal to human progress in space.  He had flown on Gemini 3, Gemini
10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, and STS-1 prior to receipt of the medal.