Three of NASA’s shuttle-era astronauts where honored this weekend for their contributions to human space flight.
They include Karol J. Bobko and USAF Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, who were inducted into the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Fla., on Saturday, and recently retired USAF Gen. Kevin Chilton, the recipient of the National Space Trophy at the annual Rotary National Award for Space Achievement banquet in Houston on Friday.
Karol J. "Bo" Bobko NASA Photo
Bobko and Helms became the 78th and 79th American astronauts inducted into the 21-year-old Hall of Fame, an inspiration of NASA’s Mercury astronauts and part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.
Chilton became the 25th recipient of the National Space Trophy, which each year honors a distinguished American for his or her career contributions to the space program.
Bobko joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 1969. Over 19 years with NASA, he supported the development of medical experiments aboard Skylab, the first U. S. space station; provided crew support for the historic 1975 Apollo-Soyuz joint mission carried out by U. S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts; and he supported the approach and landing tests of the space shuttle prior to its first mission in 1981.
Bobko served as the pilot for the first flight of Challenger in April 1983, a satellite deployment mission. He commanded Discovery and Atlantis on missions in 1985, the first a difficult satellite delivery mission and the latter a classified mission for the Department of Defense.
After leaving NASA, Bobko pursued a career in the aerospace industry.
Susan Helms aboard the International Space Station NASA photo
Helms, currently head of the 14th Air Force and Joint Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., flew five times as a member of NASA’s astronaut corps between 1990 and 2002. Her total includes four shuttle missions and a 163-day tour of duty aboard the International Space Station in 2001. Helms shares the world’s record for the longest spacewalk, 8 hours, 56 minutes.
Helms came to NASA as an Air Force flight test engineer. Since returning to the Air Force, Helms has received three promotions.
Chilton was honored in Houston by 1,000 RNASA guests for his contributions not only as a shuttle pilot and commander but as a key military official responsible for the nation’s defense.
Kevin Chilton RNASA photo
In March, he retired from the Air Force after four years as leader of the U. S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., where he was responsible for plans and operations for all U. S. forces conducting strategic deterrence and Department of Defense space and cyberspace operations.
In early 2008, Chilton led Operation Burnt Frost, a coordinated federal response to a failed National Reconnaissance Office satellite filled with toxic hydrazine fuel. When analysts determined the spacecraft’s imminent re-entry posed a threat to human life, the spacecraft was shot down by an intercepting missile.
A distinguished test pilot, Chilton was selected by NASA for astronaut training in 1987. He piloted shuttle missions in 1992 and 1994 before commanding the third NASA shuttle mission to Russia’s former Mir space station in 1996.
Prior to returning to the Air Force in 1998, Chilton served as the NASA’s deputy program manager for the International Space Station, a position that required him to forge closer ties with partners in Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.