Trump to Award Artemis II Crew Nation’s Highest Space Medal of Honor/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four astronauts who flew NASA’s Artemis II mission. The crew became the first humans in more than 50 years to travel around the moon during their historic 10-day flight. The ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 28 at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Quick Look
- Trump will honor the four-member Artemis II crew.
- The ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 28.
- It will take place at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
- The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch.
- Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will also receive the medal.
- Artemis II completed a 10-day mission around the moon.
- The crew returned safely on April 10.
- It was the first human flight around the moon in more than half a century.
- Only 30 astronauts have previously received the medal.
- Neil Armstrong and John Glenn are among past recipients.
- Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were the most recent recipients.
- The president awards the medal following a NASA administrator’s recommendation.
Deep Look
Trump to honor historic Artemis II crew
President Donald Trump plans to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the astronauts who completed NASA’s Artemis II mission.
A White House official confirmed that the presentation will take place Friday, Aug. 28, at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The award is the nation’s highest honor for astronauts who have made exceptional contributions to the United States and humanity.
Four astronauts will receive medal
The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Their mission marked the first time humans had traveled around the moon in more than 50 years.
The crew completed the 10-day flight and splashed down safely April 10.
Mission returned humans to lunar space
Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program.
Although the astronauts did not land on the moon, their journey carried humans beyond low-Earth orbit and around the lunar body for the first time since the Apollo era.
The flight tested systems, procedures and spacecraft performance needed for future lunar missions.
Its successful completion represented a major step toward NASA’s plans for additional human exploration of the moon.
Only 30 astronauts previously received honor
The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is among the rarest distinctions in American spaceflight.
Only 30 astronauts have received it, according to NASA.
Previous recipients include Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, and John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth.
Astronauts killed in the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters received the medal posthumously.
Commercial space pioneers were latest recipients
The most recent astronauts to receive the medal were Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken.
In 2020, they became the first astronauts to reach orbit aboard a commercially operated spacecraft.
President Joe Biden presented their medals in 2023.
President awards medal in Congress’ name
Despite its title, Congress does not directly present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
The president awards it following recommendations from the NASA administrator.
Congress has authorized the president to present the medal in its name to an astronaut who has “distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and of mankind.”
The recognition of the Artemis II crew places Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen among the most honored astronauts in the history of human spaceflight.
Congressional Space Medal of Honor, Artemis crew, Johnson Space Center, lunar flyby, human spaceflight
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