SpaceX's first NASA astronauts to receive Space Medal of Honor for Dragon test flight
The astronauts responsible for the first crewed Dragon test flight will be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by the US Vice President and Chair of the National Space Council. NASA will stream the event live on all social media platforms and its own NASA TV service. Douglas and Robert Behnken will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
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On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Demo-2 astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for bravery from @VP Kamala Harris. Live coverage is scheduled to begin at 4:15pm ET (2115 UTC) on social media and NASA TV: https://t.co/j5LEplLldV pic.twitter.com/nBJQSLzWOR
— NASA (@NASA) January 30, 2023
There will be live coverage on social media and NASA TV. The three NASA astronauts killed in the Apollo 1 accident and the 14 astronauts killed in the Space Shuttle disaster were posthumously awarded.This medal based upon recommendations from the NASA Administrator, and that Administrator Bill Nelson selected Behnken and Hurley for the honor.
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It's difficult to imagine a pair of astronauts more deserving of ending the 16-year gap since the last Space Medal of Honor was awarded, Behnken and Hurley had storied careers in the US military and at NASA. Bob Behnken earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from Caltech in 1997 and became a lead flight test engineer in the US Air Force. He flew two Space Shuttle missions in 2008 and 2010. In 2012 Behnken was chosen to lead NASA's prestigious Astronaut Office, and did so for three years before he began training for the Commercial Crew Program.
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He became a Navy Test Pilot in 1997 after three deployment as an F/A-18 pilot. He was the first Marine pilot to fly the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. He flew on two Space Shuttle flights, including the Shuttle's 135th and final mission in 2011. Behnken and Hurley were assigned to Dragon Demo-2.
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Musk talks to Behnken. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, Musk, Behnken, and Hurley inspect the Falcon 9 and Dragon. The demo-2 lifted off with Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. Behnken and Hurley are inside the Crew Dragon.
Behnken and Hurley are back on Earth. After their successful recovery, Behnken and Hurley greet the cameras. Bob and Doug were assigned to the first Crew Dragon test flight. Before the company's historic astronauts launch debut, they worked with the company for several years.
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On May 30th, 2020, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley became the first NASA astronauts to lift off from US soil since the Space Shuttle. NASA was so confident in the performance of Crew Dragon that it extended its demo-2 flight from a minimum duration of about an hour to an hour and a half. After two months in space, Crew Dragon successfully reentered Earth's atmosphere, deployed parachutes, and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, safely returning Behnken and Hurley to Earth. NASA quickly certified the Dragon after the successful test flight.
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The first operational astronauts ferry mission for NASA took place less than four months later. More than two years later, Boeing's Starliner remains uncertified, and Crew Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of sustaining the presence of NASA astronauts at the International Space Station. The Crew 6 mission is expected to launch no later than February 26th. The importance of Crew Dragon to NASA cannot be overstated.
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Without the work done and risks taken by Behnken and Hurley, NASA and SpaceX wouldn't have Crew Dragon's essential capabilities. The state of US human spaceflight could be worse than it is today if either of the astronauts had made a mistake during Dragon's demo-2 test flight. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley retired from NASA in 2021 and 2022, respectively, in order to make way for a new era of commercial human spaceflight. The 29th and 30th Congressional Space Medals of Honor will be given to them..