Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex To Host Induction Ceremony At Space Shuttle Atlantis May 3

Space shuttle astronauts Shannon Lucid, the only American woman to serve aboard the Russian Space Station Mir, and Jerry Ross, the first human to complete seven space shuttle missions, will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 3 during a ceremony held in the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Lucid and Ross were selected by NASA to become astronauts within two years of each other; Lucid in 1978 and Ross in 1980. Now retired, both achieved honorable milestones throughout their careers with NASA. Lucid joined the first U.S. astronaut class to include women and held the record until 2007 for the most flight hours in orbit by a female astronaut (5,354 hours, or 223 days). Ross was the first to break the world record for being the first human launched into space seven times.

The location for the induction ceremony is fitting as both Lucid and Ross flew several times on Atlantis.

Atlantis carried Lucid to Mir for her historic 188 days on the space station in 1996. President Bill Clinton presented Lucid with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for her service aboard Mir, making her the first woman to receive the award. Lucid again flew on Atlantis for missions STS-34 and STS-43.

Five of Ross’s seven flights were flown on space shuttle Atlantis. In between his first launch into space on Nov. 26, 1986, aboard STS-61B Atlantis, and his last on April 8, 2002, with STS-110 Atlantis, he also flew on STS-27 Atlantis, STS-37 Atlantis, STS-55 Columbia and STS-74 Atlantis.

More than 25 legendary astronauts and space icons will walk the red carpet for the induction ceremony including 2013 inductees Curt Brown, Eileen Collins and Bonnie Dunbar, as well as John Blaha, Karol “Bo” Bobko, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, Vance Brand, Dan Brandenstein, Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, Dick Covey, Frank Culbertson, Walt Cunningham, Owen Garriott, Hoot Gibson, Dick Gordon, Fred Gregory, Fred Haise, Steve Hawley, Jeff Hoffman, Edgar Mitchell, Pinky Nelson, Charlie Precourt, Brewster Shaw, Loren Shriver, Tom Stafford, Kathy Thornton and Jim Wetherbee.

The 2014 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.

(NASA images. Top: Shannon Lucid. Bottom: Jerry Ross)

FMI: www.kennedyspacecenter.com