NASA will honor former astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad for his involvement in the U.S. space program with the presentation of the Ambassador of Exploration Award at 2 p.m. EST, Saturday, Nov. 18, in the Allen Theater, The Museum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle.
The award ceremony coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Apollo 12 mission of Nov. 14-19, 1969, and culminates a day of museum space-related activities and workshops.
NASA is presenting the Ambassador of Exploration Award to the astronauts and other key individuals who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs for realizing America’s vision of space exploration from 1961 to 1972.
The award is a sample of lunar material mounted for public display. The material is part of the 842 pounds of samples brought back to Earth during the six Apollo lunar expeditions from 1969 to 1972.
Conrad’s award will be displayed at The Museum of Flight, one of the largest air and space museums in the world. Conrad was the third man to walk on the moon as commander of Apollo 12, the second lunar landing mission. He and lunar module pilot Alan L. Bean spent 31.5 hours on the moon. Conrad also served as pilot of the Gemini V mission; commander of Gemini XI; and commander of the first mission launched to the Skylab space station in 1973. He retired from the U.S. Navy and NASA as a captain in 1974.
Conrad died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in July 1999, so his widow Nancy will accept the award on his behalf. She will present it for display to The Museum of Flight President Bonnie Dunbar. Dunbar is also a former NASA astronaut. For Conrad’s astronaut biography, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/conrad-c.html
For Museum of Flight information and event media access, contact Eden Hopkins at 206-768-7105. For information about NASA visit:
