NASA Distinguished Service Medal

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award which may 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 on Aeronautics and was inherited by NASA. The first NASA version (type I), featuring the NASA seal, was issued from 1959 until 1961, when it was replaced by the current type II medal (shown). Only three type I medals were awarded&mdash;to John W. Crowley, NASA Director of Aeronautical and Space Research; and Mercury astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom.



1959

 * John W. Crowley, Jr. (first award)

1961

 * Alan Shepard (May 8, 1961)
 * Virgil I. Grissom (July 22, 1961)

1962

 * John Glenn
 * Wally Schirra (October 15, 1962)
 * Forrest S. Petersen – X-15 pilot

1965

 * Wally Schirra (December 30, 1965)

1968

 * James Webb

1969

 * William A. Anders
 * Frank A. Bogart
 * Carroll H. Bolender
 * Frank Borman
 * Robert E. Bourdeau
 * Eugene A. Cernan
 * Roger B. Chaffee
 * John F. Clark
 * Raymond L. Clark
 * Ozro M. Covington
 * Kurt H. Debus
 * Maxime A. Faget
 * Robert R. Gilruth
 * Harry H. Gorman
 * Virgil I. Grissom
 * Hans F. Gruene
 * George H. Hage


 * Wesley L. Hjornevik
 * Lee B. James
 * David M. Jones
 * Kenneth S. Kleinknecht
 * Christopher C. Kraft
 * James A. Lovell
 * George M. Low
 * Charles W. Matthews
 * Alexander A. McCool
 * James A. McDivitt
 * Jessie L. Mitchell
 * George E. Mueller
 * John E. Naugle
 * Edmund F. O'Connor
 * Rocco A. Petrone
 * Samuel C. Phillips
 * Joseph Purcell
 * Eberhard F. M. Rees


 * Ludie G. Richard
 * Arthur Rudolph
 * Julian W. Scheer
 * William C. Schneider
 * Russell L. Schweickart
 * David R. Scott
 * Robert C. Seamans
 * Willis H. Shapley
 * Albert F. Siepert
 * Donald K. Slayton
 * Thomas P. Stafford
 * Gerald M. Truszynski
 * Wernher von Braun
 * Hermann K. Weidner
 * Edward H. White
 * John J. Williams
 * John W. Young

1970

 * Edwin E. Aldrin
 * Neil A. Armstrong
 * Alan L. Bean


 * Michael Collins
 * Charles Conrad
 * Richard F. Gordon


 * Fred W. Haise
 * James A. Lovell
 * 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
 * Alan B. Shepard
 * 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

1973

 * George W. S. Abbey
 * Alan L. Bean
 * Leland F. Belew
 * Charles A. Berry
 * Aleck C. Bond
 * Anthony J. Calio
 * Eugene A. Cernan
 * Aaron Cohen
 * Charles Conrad
 * Richard W. Cook
 * John H. Disher
 * Paul C. Donnelly
 * Ronald E. Evans
 * Arnold W. Frutkin


 * Owen K. Garriott
 * Ernst D. Geissler
 * Roy E. Godfrey
 * Robert H. Gray
 * George B. Hardy
 * Robert C. Hock
 * William P. Horton
 * S. Neil Hosenball
 * Roy P. Jackson
 * Richard S. Johnston
 * Joseph P. Kerwin
 * James E. Kingsbury
 * Jack A. Kinzler
 * Kenneth S. Kleinknecht


 * Joseph N. Kotanchik
 * Chester M. Lee
 * William E. Lilly
 * Jack R. Lousma
 * Owen G. Morris
 * Rocco A. Petrone
 * Isom A. Rigell
 * Miles Ross
 * George T. Sasseen
 * Harrison H. Schmitt
 * William C. Schneider
 * Richard G. Smith
 * Howard W. Tindall
 * Paul J. Weitz

1974

 * Donald D. Buchanan
 * Gerald P. Carr
 * Walker E. Giberson
 * Edward G. Gibson


 * Charles F. Hall
 * Robert L. Krieger
 * Dale D. Myers
 * William R. Pogue


 * Norman Pozinsky
 * Martin L. Raines
 * Lee R. Scherer
 * John M. Thole
 * Robert F. Thompson

1975

 * Vance D. Brand
 * Robert H. Curtin
 * M. P. Frank
 * Donald P. Hearth
 * Chester M. Lee


 * Glynn S. Lunney
 * Joseph B. Mahon
 * Ellery B. May
 * John L. McLucas
 * William Nordberg


 * George F. Page
 * Donald K. Slayton
 * Thomas P. Stafford
 * David Williamson

1976

 * Charles J. Donlan
 * Isaac T. Gillam
 * Charles R. Gunn


 * William M. Lohse
 * Charles W. Mathews
 * John J. Neilon


 * Leonard Roberts
 * William R. Schindler

1977

 * Edgar M. Cortright
 * Malcolm R. Currie
 * James C. Fletcher
 * Noel W. Hinners


 * Leonard Jaffe
 * Harriett G. Jenkins
 * Robert S. Kraemer
 * Bruce T. Lundin


 * Hans M. Mark
 * James S. Martin
 * John E. Naugle
 * Henry W. Norris
 * A. Thomas Young

1978

 * Kenneth R. Chapman
 * Duward Crow


 * Robert H. Curtin
 * Marvin L. McNickle


 * David R. Scott
 * Milton O. Thompson
 * Gerald M. Truszynski

1981

 * Robert L. Crippen
 * Paul C. Donnelly

1992

 * Berrien Moore III

1995

 * Dr. Charles J. Pellerin

1996

 * Gerald M. Smith

2000

 * No awards

2001
Joseph Philip Loftus Jr. April 2001
 * Jack Brooks
 * Claude Nicollier
 * Courtney Stadd
 * James S. Voss

2002

 * Scott E. Parazynski

2003

 * Kalpana Chawla
 * William McCool
 * Axel Roth

2004

 * Lott W. Brantley Jr.
 * G. Scott Hubbard

2007

 * Douglas Hendriksen

2008

 * Walter Cunningham
 * Donn Eisele
 * Fuk Li
 * Walter Schirra
 * E. Myles Standish
 * Richard Sunseri

2009

 * Christopher Scolese
 * Stephanie D. Wilson

2010

 * David K. Alonso
 * Scott D. Altman
 * John M. Grunsfeld
 * Jeffrey M. Hanley


 * John T. James
 * Suresh M. Joshi
 * William H. Kinard
 * Steven J. Ostro


 * Mark L. Polansky
 * Frederick Sturckow
 * Jacob Trombka
 * David A. Wolf

2011

 * Stephen K. Robinson
 * Richard Mushotzky
 * Daniel McCleese
 * Richard Fisher
 * Stephanie D. Wilson
 * James E. Fesmire

2012

 * Frank J. Benz
 * Byron Butler
 * Sam V. Digesu
 * Christopher J. Ferguson
 * David C. Folta
 * Michael E. Fossum


 * Mark E. Kelly
 * Alan J. Lindenmoyer
 * David M. Martin, Manager Launch Vehicle Systems Office, Commercial Crew Program
 * Ann McNair
 * Robert R. Meyer
 * Martin G. Mlynczak
 * Philip E. Phillips, Program Manager, Ground Systems Development and Operations Program


 * Craig L. Purdy
 * Daniel C. Reda
 * Joseph Savino
 * Phillip A. Sabelhaus
 * Peter J. Serlemitsos
 * Robert M. Stephens
 * Michael T. Suffredini
 * Richard Zurek