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Four
Veteran Space Shuttle
Astronauts
Inducted into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®
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Cape
Canaveral, FL – June 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Space Shuttle astronauts
John Grunsfeld, Steve Lindsey, Kent Rominger and Rhea Seddon joined an
elite group of American space heroes with their induction Saturday (May
30) into the U.S.
Astronaut Hall of Fame® during a ceremony held in the Space Shuttle
Atlantis (SM) attraction at Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex.
This
year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. 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, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle programs.
The
2015 inductees have all accomplished great feats as astronauts and scientists:
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John
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.
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Steve
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, which delivered Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space,
to the International Space Station (ISS).
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Kent
Rominger flew aboard five space shuttle missions and was commander
of STS-96 Discovery, the first docking of the space shuttle to the ISS.
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Rhea
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-40 Columbia as a mission specialist during the first Spacelab Life
Sciences flight.
There
were 26 legendary astronauts welcoming the inductees: Walt Cunningham,
Al Worden, Jack Lousma, Bob Crippen, Karol “Bo” Bobko, Rick Hauck, Dan
Brandenstein, Brewster Shaw, Hoot Gibson, Bruce McCandless, Michael Coats,
Steve Hawley, Loren Shriver, Jeff Hoffman, Dick Covey, Bonnie Dunbar, Jerry
Ross, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, Franklin Chang Diaz, John Blaha,
Kathy Thorton, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, Frank Culbertson,
Curt Brown, Eileen Collins and Fred Gregory.
Rhea
Seddon’s induction also represented a first for the Hall of Fame as she
joined her husband, Hoot Gibson, in the select group. The couple also celebrated
their 34th anniversary.
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.
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2015 U.S. Astronaut Hall
of Fame Inductees (left to right):
Kent Rominger, Rhea Seddon,
Steve Lindsey, John Grunsfeld
(Photo
File)
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About
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex brings to life the epic story of the U.S.
space program, offering a full day or more of fun and educational activities,
including the Kennedy Space Center Tour featuring the Apollo/Saturn V Center
with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the new Space Shuttle Atlantis (SM),
Shuttle Launch Experience®, IMAX® Hubble 3D and Journey to Space
films, Astronaut Encounter, Journey to Mars, Rocket Garden and many other
interactive exhibits. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of
Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft and the world’s largest collection
of personal astronaut memorabilia, which opens daily at noon and closing
times vary by season. Only 45 minutes from Orlando, Fla., Kennedy Space
Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. with closing times varying
by season. Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children
ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers annual passes
starting at $75 + tax for adults and $60 + tax for children ages 3-11.
For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
About
the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
The
United
States Astronaut Hall of Fame was first conceived in the 1980s, when
the six surviving Mercury astronauts sought to create a place where space
travelers could be remembered. Their dream was realized in 1990, when the
Hall of Fame attraction opened in Titusville, Fla. outside the gates to
Kennedy Space Center. Today, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation serves
as a consultant for the Hall of Fame, which includes conducting the selection
process of astronauts for enshrinement by an outside committee. The Astronaut
Scholarship Foundation awards merit-based scholarships to the best and
brightest students pursuing science, technology, engineering and math.
The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is known nationwide for being among
the highest scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM students. Since
its inception, ASF has awarded over $4 million in scholarship to more than
370 of the nation’s top scholars. For more information, call 321-455-7012
or log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.
About
Delaware North
Delaware
North is one of the largest and most admired privately-held hospitality
companies in the world. Founded and owned by the Jacobs family for nearly
100 years, it is a global leader in hospitality and food service with subsidiary
and affiliate operations in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurants
and catering, parks, resorts, gaming and specialty retail industries. Its
portfolio includes high-profile venues ranging from sports stadiums, entertainment
complexes, national parks, restaurants, airports, and some of the top regional
casinos in the country. The company also owns a selection of award-winning
destination resorts, as well as a series of premium restaurants and catering
services that are leaders in the industry. Delaware North has annual revenue
of $3 billion with 60,000 employee associates serving half a billion guests
in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand,
and Asia. “Delaware North” is a reference to Delaware North Companies Inc.
and its affiliates and subsidiaries, including location-specific operating
entities. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.
Contact:
Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex
Andrea
Farmer
Public
Relations Manager
321-449-4318
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