Press Release

National Space Club Announces 2013 Award Recipients

By SpaceRef Editor
February 13, 2013
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Washington, DC – The National Space Club (NSC) is pleased to announce its annual award recipients. The Awards are selected by panels of experts from across the aerospace and defense industry and are a testament to the inspiring work of individuals across our nation. The Awards will be presented at the 56th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner, taking place at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Friday, March 22, 2013.

Recipients are:

The Curiosity/Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Team, will receive the Club’s preeminent award, the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy. The team is honored for their significant contributions to the development of the most capable deep space mission ever developed and the initiation of the most ambitious science mission ever conducted on the surface of another planet.

Major Joshua J. Chumley, USAF, Commander, Operating Location Alpha, 3d Space Experimentation Squadron, U.S. Air Force Space Command, will receive the General Bernard Schriever Award for leading a selectively manned team responsible for operation of the United States’ first unmanned, autonomous, reusable space plane – the Orbital Test Vehicle, or X-37B.

Richard Cook, Project Manager, Mars Science Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will receive the Astronautics Engineer Award for his personal engineering leadership as both Flight Systems Manager and Project Manager of the development of the NASA JPL Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover to Mars.

Soumyo Dutta, Student, Georgia Institute of Technology, will receive the Goddard Memorial Scholarship in support of his continued studies and efforts in the design of a next generation planetary entry vehicle.

Kristina Harrington, Chief Scientist, Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, will receive the Dr. Joseph V. Charyk Award for her demonstrated exceptional leadership of the concept design and future Signals Intelligence collection architecture.

Bill Ingalls, Photographer, NASA, will be recognized with the Press Award for his exceptional contributions to the space industry by capturing and sharing the power and beauty of our nation’s space program through the lens of his camera.

Erik Lopez, Student, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is the winner of a national search and competition and will be the recipient of the inaugural Goddard Memorial Dinner Keynote Scholarship and will be the keynote speaker at the Goddard Memorial Dinner.

The Mars Science Laboratory Team is also the recipient of the Nelson P. Jackson Aerospace Award, recognized for its significance in successfully landing on and exploring the Martian surface.

Dr. Douglas Morton, Research Physical Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, receives the NOAA – David Johnson Award for his innovative contributions to the use of satellite remote sensing to address tropical deforestation.

Kirk Shireman, Deputy Program Manager, International Space Station, NASA, will receive the Eagle Manned Mission Award for his outstanding leadership of the International Space Station.

Lisa Wu, Student, Urbana High School, Frederick, MD, is the recipient of the Olin E. Teague Memorial Scholarship, for the testing of the first X-ray concentrator prototypes designed for the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) instrument and the analysis of the resolution of the concentrators as proposed for an International Space Station (ISS) mission.

Lynne F. Zielinski, (Retired) Science Teacher, Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Il, is the recipient of the Space Educator Award for her work inspiring, educating and developing the next generation of students in space science.

Individuals and organizations interested in attending the 56th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner on Friday, March 22, 2013 at the Washington Hilton, may find more information on our website www.spaceclub.org. For specific questions please contact NSC at info@spaceclub.org or by calling 202-547-0060.

The National Space Club is a non-profit organization devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a continuing program of educational support. Awards are offered to recognize significant achievements in space science and enterprise. Scholarships and other education support are a major focus of Club activity.

SpaceRef staff editor.