On behalf of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris awarded former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken the Congressional Area Medal of Honor Tuesday for his or her bravery in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) to the Worldwide Area Station in 2020. Hurley and Behnken are the primary recipients of the dignity since 2006 and accepted the awards throughout a televised occasion in Washington.
“Bob and Doug, collectively, have written the primary web page of a brand new chapter within the historical past of American spaceflight,” stated Harris, who chairs the Nationwide Area Council. “Bob and Doug characterize the perfect of our nation – there’s no query about it. The braveness; the dedication; the brilliance; the imaginative and prescient; the flexibility to see and perceive what is feasible after which to go for it, represents the perfect of who we’re as a nation.”
The Congressional Area Medal of Honor was licensed by Congress in 1969 to acknowledge an astronaut who within the efficiency of duties has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and humanity. The dignity now has been awarded to 30 individuals, together with the crews of the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia disasters who acquired the award posthumously.
“The American story is about innovation, exploration, and pioneers who forge forward. And Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken characterize the American story,” stated NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson. “When Doug and Bob launched into historical past, a brand new period of human spaceflight took flight. The Demo-2 mission showcased American management and technological ingenuity and impressed numerous minds to dare to dream to fly among the many stars. Congratulations to Doug and Bob on this well-deserved honor!”
On Could 30, 2020, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the corporate’s Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off to the house station, marking the primary mission to launch with astronauts as a part of NASA’s Business Crew Program. Demo-2, a mission greater than a decade within the making, was the primary time American astronauts had launched from American soil on an American rocket for the reason that conclusion of the Area Shuttle Program in 2011.
