The National Space Society is pleased to announce that Project Mercury astronauts, Senator John Glenn and Commander Scott Carpenter, will be the featured guests at the Society’s annual Governors’ Dinner and Gala being held at the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Friday, May 25, 2012.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Glenn’s (February 20) and Carpenter’s (May 24) historic flights in 1962 as the first two American astronauts to orbit Earth. Further, the National Space Society is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding due to the merger between the National Space Institute and the L5 Society in 1987.
“We are extremely honored that both Senator Glenn and Commander Carpenter will be joining us in Washington for this event,” said Paul Damphousse, NSS Executive Director. “I can’t think of a better inspiration for those of us looking to build a new future in space than by recognizing the dedication and commitment of these two American heroes and the part they played in advancing U.S. space exploration and travel.”
At the dinner, Glenn and Carpenter each will receive NSS’s Space Pioneer Award for Historic Space Achievement and they have both been asked to speak briefly after the award ceremony.
The Governors’ Dinner and Gala is the highlight of the Society’s annual International Space Development Conference, taking place in Washington from May 24th through 28th at the Grand Hyatt Washington. The Gala honors the NSS Board of Governors, a volunteer advisory board composed of outstanding individuals in the fields of science, engineering, the arts, government, the press, business, law, medicine, and other professions and occupations, and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Society or its goals. Current members of the Board of Governors include former astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and Harrison Schmitt, as well as celebrities Hugh Downs, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise.
About ISDC: The International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ISDC 2012 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC from May 24 through 28, 2012. ISDC brings together a diverse group of NASA officials, aerospace industry leaders and interested private citizens to engage in discussions about today’s prevalent space issues in order to stimulate innovation and overcome the obstacles that hinder human advancement off the Earth.
About The National Space Society (NSS): NSS is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded when the National Space Institute and the L5 Society merged in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space. NSS has over 12,000 members and supporters, and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.
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For more information on media access to the ISDC or on the National Space Society, please contact Debbie Cohen at ISDC2012.Media@nss.org or 202-429-1600.
