Stellar Awards

Stellar Awards Trophy.
Stellar Awards Trophy
Each year, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement solicits nominations for Stellar Awards for individual and team achievements from the government, military, and industry. In order to ensure recognition of individuals at all stages of their careers, nominations are solicited in four categories: early career, mid-career, late-career, and teams. The nominations are reviewed by a Stellar Awards Evaluation Panel of distinguished scientists, engineers, managers, and academicians who select the winners based on who's accomplishments hold the greatest promise for furthering future activities in space. The winners in each category are announced at the spring gala. Presentation of the Stellar Awards trophies (see right) is made by a pair of current astronauts.

All Stellar Awards nominees are invited for a special day of activities at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. These activities usually include a behind-the-scenes guided tour of Center facilities and a luncheon presentation by a well-known person from the space community. The 2010 luncheon speaker is Hubble Servicing Mission Pilot Gregory C. Johnson. A list of previous years' luncheon presenters can be found on the Stellar Awards Luncheon Speakers page.

Stellar Awards nominations for 2010 closed on December 11, 2009. Send a message to Marianne Dyson to be added to the Stellar Awards nominator's mailing list for next year.

Citations of the nominees are published in the program books each year. Examples from 2008 and 2009 are available on the Program Book page. The list of winners and photos from previous years is posted below.

If you are a nominee or nominator with a question about a previous event, please contact the Stellar Awards Coordinator, Jenny Mitchell, stellar@rnasa.org.

 

Previous Stellar Award Winners

Stellar Award winners are selected based on which accomplishments hold the greatest promise for furthering future activities in space, the extent to which the nominee played a key role in the accomplishment, and the extent to which the nominee meets the goal of recognizing "unsung heroes." In addition, nominees in the early career category are evaluated based on the extent to which the nominee's past accomplishments demonstrates the potential for future contributions. Winners in each of four categories are announced at the banquet.

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