The U.S. Space & Rocket Center® has named four extraordinary individuals to the 2019 class of the Space Camp® Hall of Fame: Mary “Wally” Funk, a member of the Mercury 13 and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board; Casey Harris, keyboardist for the rock band, X Ambassadors; Christina H. Koch, a NASA Astronaut currently aboard the International Space Station; and Beth Moses, Chief Astronaut Instructor and Commercial Astronaut for Virgin Galactic.
“The 2019 inductees represent the diversity of our Space Camp alumni whose work is changing the world,” Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, said. “These four individuals exemplify the courage, curiosity and passion for learning that inspires future generations of explorers, and we are honored to induct them into the Space Camp Hall of Fame.”
The Space Camp Hall of Fame includes graduates who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers and friends of the Center who have made considerable contributions of personal time, effort or resources to further the goals of the Space Camp programs. Members exhibit leadership among the globe-spanning Space Camp alumni community of more than 850,000, providing guidance and encouragement for alumni to continue to support the Space Camp mission.
This year’s inductees join the ranks of 47 Hall of Fame members, including Dr. Wernher von Braun and astronauts Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Samantha Cristoforetti, Dr. Kate Rubins and Dr. Serena Aunon-Chancellor.
The 2019 class will be inducted at the Hall of Fame Ceremony and Dinner, to be held Saturday, July 13, 2019, at the Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration.
The induction ceremony is part of a weeklong Rocket City Summer Fest, a family-friendly series of events that will celebrate Space Camp alumni and the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The events conclude Saturday, July 20, with the Rocket City Summer Fest Moon Landing Concert with “Party of the Year,” a dance party band from the producers of the popular Black Jacket Symphony.
For more information on Rocket Center Summer Fest, visit www.rocketcenter.com/summerfest.
