Stellar Awards Winner Prior to 1997

STELLAR AWARD WINNERS 1989-1996

Please note that prior to 1997, the winners were not categorized by age.

Category	Year	Winner	Company	Citation
(No categories in 1996)	1996	Jules G. McNeff	Department of Defense	For being instrumental in coordinating the effective dual-use of GPS technology developed through a Department of Defense acquisition program. Through his efforts, a space-based military capability has been made available to commercial users with great economic benefit to the United States .
(No categories in 1996)	1996	Dwight L. Woolhouse	Rockwell Downey	For his leadership in providing safe and reliable space systems for the restructured Shuttle Program, his strong focus on his customers, his extreme responsiveness to program needs, and as a recognized leader in the quality engineering filed. He has implemented new approaches to accomplishing product assurance which have not only saved only, but improved product quality as well.
Launch Vehicle Development	1995	Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X) Single Stage Rocket Technology Team	McDonnell Douglas	For their outstanding work in design, construction, and flight demonstration of a prototype reusable rocket. The DC-X is considered the first step in this country’s development of a single-stage-to-orbit space transportation system which promises to lower the cost to orbit and eventually provide public access to space.
Spacecraft Design	1995	Clementine Project Team	Naval Research Laboratory	For their work in demonstrating the capability to design, develop, and operate a successful and meaningful space mission at low cost…the mission was to test space-based imaging components for the next generation of DoD spacecraft. Using the Moon as a target, Clementine would return valuable new images of the lunar surface.
Program Management	1993	Peter G. Wilhelm	Naval Research Laboratory	He has pioneered many innovations in satellite engineering. His commitment to programs such as the Multiple Satellite Dispenser and the Shuttle Launch Dispenser has saved millions of dollars in booster and launch vehicle costs.
Propulsion	1993	Otto Goetz		His successful efforts on the development and testing of the propulsion systems on the Saturn launch vehicle during the Apollo program led to work on the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The testing methods he designed during the development phase of the SSME were critical to the success and safety of the Shuttle.
Manufacturing	1993	Charles Caughren	Rockwell International	As the Palmdale Site Director for Rockwell’s Orbiter Final Assembly and Test Operations, he motivates his people to unprecedented accomplishment in a time of stringent cost constraints.
History	1993	Dr. Roger Bilstein	University of Houston Clear Lake	For writing space history articles for national government agencies, major encyclopedias, research publications, aerospace periodicals, and business journals.
Space Life Sciences	1991	Dr. Same Lee Pool	NASA Johnson Space Center	For his achievement in developing and applying space research and technology to medical programs on Earth. He was instrumental in identifying the medical problems associated with weightlessness in space…and his participation in a variety of medical research programs which helped define man’s capabilities to work safely and productively in space.
Astronomy	1991	Dr. John C. Mather		For expanding mankind’s knowledge of this universe…with contributions for the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite…which has reported the most precise measurement ever made of the Big Bang residual radiation.
Operations Support	1991	Dale L. Fahnestock	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	As Director of the Mission Operations and Data Systems Directorate, he is responsible for the activities of an internationally recognized research and development organization comprised of the TDRS Network, the network of ground tracking and data acquisition stations, the worldwide NASA communication system and numerous satellite control and data processing centers which provide support for the Space Shuttle, Spacelab and Hubble Space Telescope.
Military Service	1991	CMSgt Thomas M. Ball	United Space Air Force	For his career long commitment to America’s military space program…[and his] tireless promotion of the Air Force’s space program and lasting contributions which have helped make our nation more secure.
Legislative Support	1990	Marcia S. Smith	Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress	At the CRS, Smith serves as a policy analyst for the members and committees of the U.S. Congress on matters concerning military and civilian space activities around the world.
Visual Arts	1990	Robert T. McCall		For his career as a space artist [which] began in the early Mercury days. Since then, he has chronicled the U.S. space program through his elaborate, creative illustrations.
News Media	1990	Craig P. Covault	Aviation Week & Space Technology	For writing close to a thousand articles on space, covering virtually all U.S. and Soviet manned and unmanned space missions…His reporting from the White House on space policy helped set the national space leadership agenda.
Flight Control	1990	Richard Brown	NASA Johnson Space Center	For being instrumental in pioneering the flight control concepts and techniques used in all manned space missions from Mercury to Space Shuttle. As supervisor of electrical and environmental systems at the Johnson Space Center , Brown trains many flight controllers in operational electrical analysis techniques.
Launch Vehicle / Spacecraft Processing	1989	Robert B. Sieck	NASA Kennedy Space Center	For his dedication to the successful preparation and launching of our nation’s manned spacecraft…, his career long commitment to “keep ‘em flying”, and most especially, for the safe and successful return to flight of STS 26 and STS 27.
Academic Development	1989	Dr. Alexander J. Dessler	Rice University	For his career-long service to higher education in the field of space science…Dr. Dessler’s personal contributions to our understanding of the universe have been immense. But perhaps his most significant contribution has been the generations of space scientists that he has influenced to pursue a career in the nation’s space program.
Military Service	1989	Col. Roger G. DeKok	United States Air Force	For his career long commitment to America ’s military space program. A member of the U.S. Air Force, Colonel DeKok has held a wide variety of space systems operational and staff positions during his twenty year in the service.
News and Information Service	1989	Charles A. “Chuck” Biggs	NASA Johnson Space Center	For nearly 25 years, Mr. Biggs has provided information service and space exhibits to the public for their education and entertainment…In a span of 19 years, he displayed America ’s space program to the world through many international air shows and world’s fairs.

Return to top

To report problems with this page, send email to Marianne Dyson.
Return to RNASA HOME page
Page Last Updated: 3-31-08