The Space Foundation announced today that they have selected both the NASA/Industry Galileo Space Probe Team and the men and women of United States Space Command and its component organizations to receive the 2002 Space Foundation Space Achievement Award. 2002 is the first year the Space Foundation has presented two Space Achievement Awards.
The NASA/Industry Galileo Space Probe Team was selected for the design, development, launch and operation of the Galileo space probe resulting in a more than 10-year odyssey of solar system exploration and an abundance of scientific discoveries. The men and women of United States Space Command and its component organizations were selected in recognition of the commandâs trailblazing application of space systems and technologies in the defense of the nation during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Space Achievement Award will be presented April 8 during the 18th National Space Symposiumâs Opening Ceremony. The symposium, which gathers top space leaders from industry, the military and government, is hosted by the Space Foundation and takes place April 8-11 in Colorado Springs.
Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter in the outer solar system, launched in 1989 aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis. The space probe, released from Galileo, made measurements while dropping through Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. Galileo Probe results suggest Jupiter had an ancient, chilly past. The spacecraft is named in honor of the first modern astronomer — Galileo, who made the first observations of the heavens using a telescope in 1610. For more information visit http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/.
U.S. Space Command coordinates the use of Army, Naval and Air Force space forces to defend the United States. From the high vantage point of space, these space forces provide the information needed by our military to out-maneuver the enemy, attack with precision and protect themselves from attack. The men and women of U.S. Space Command put the satellites that provide these capabilities in orbit, operate them, protect them, and ensure that the information they provide is exactly what Americaâs war fighters need to protect national security interests today and tomorrow. For more information visit http://www.peterson.af.mil/usspacecom
The Space Foundation annually recognizes an individual or organization that has demonstrated lifetime achievement, breakthrough space technology, or program or product success deemed to represent a critical milestone in the evolution of space exploration and development. Previous recipients of the Space Achievement Award include the Hubble Space Telescope Team, Sea Launch, the NASA/Boeing International Space Station Team, General Thomas S. Moorman, Jr. and Capt. James Lovell, Commander, Apollo 13.
Preliminary symposium program information, on-line registration and membership signup are available at http://www.spacesymposium.org or by calling the Space Foundation at 1-800-691-4000.
