CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris will current the Congressional Area Medal of Honor to 2 former NASA astronauts in a White Home ceremony Tuesday, in accordance with a White Home official and NASA.
Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken can be awarded for his or her “for bravery in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) to the Worldwide Area Station in 2020,” NASA stated in a information launch. The ceremony will mark the primary Congressional Area Medal of Honors awarded since 2006.
The pair piloted the primary crewed launch for SpaceX as a part of NASA’s inaugural Industrial Crew Mission to the Worldwide Area Station in 2020 – the primary astronauts to launch to orbit from the US in almost a decade. 5 crewed missions have been launched to the ISS carrying 13 American and seven worldwide astronauts because the 2020 launch, in accordance with the White Home official.
Hurley, who served within the Marines, and Behnken, who served within the Air Pressure, have been each navy check pilots earlier than they joined NASA in 2000. The area company has an extended historical past of choosing check pilots, who spend lots of of hours flying round in experimental supersonic plane, to be astronauts.
The award acknowledges “any astronaut who within the efficiency of his duties has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and mankind.” It has been awarded to twenty-eight folks, together with 17 posthumously, because it was approved by Congress in 1969, in accordance with the White Home official.
Harris, who chairs the Nationwide Area Council as a part of her portfolio, will current the award in a ceremony from the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Govt Workplace Constructing Tuesday afternoon.