Gene Cernan To Receive NAHF 2016 Neil Armstrong Award
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced today that retired Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, Eugene “Gene” Cernan, will receive its 2016 Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award on October 1st.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced today that retired Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, Eugene "Gene" Cernan, will receive its 2016 Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award on October 1st. Capt. Cernan, who commanded the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, is one of only twelve humans to have stepped foot on the moon and the last man to do so.
Capt. Cernan was a U.S. Navy attack fighter pilot when he was selected to apply for the astronaut corps, ultimately serving as a pilot or commander on three record-breaking space missions: Gemini 9A, Apollo 9 and Apollo 17. A 2000 enshrinee of the NAHF, Capt. Cernan has devoted much of his post-NASA career publicly advocating for personal empowerment and development, especially among youth, as well as for the revival of U.S. manned space exploration.
The NAHF Neil Armstrong Outstanding Achievement Award was established in 2015, named after the first man to walk on the lunar surface and a 1979 enshrinee of the Hall of Fame. The award was established by the NAHF to annually recognize an exceptional one-time aviation performance of national or international significance, or an enduring series of events that demonstrates life-long dedication to leadership in promoting aviation and values of citizenship, dignity, integrity, and service.
The Armstrong Award recipient is determined by a committee of five NAHF Board members. Capt. Cernan will personally accept the award during the NAHF 54th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Widely known as the "Oscar Night of Aviation," the black-tie event takes place at the NAHF Learning Center and adjacent National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The ceremony features the induction of the Enshrinee Class of 2016: Former test-pilot and astronaut Robert L. Crippen, USN (Ret); the late fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient, Col. George "Bud" Day, USAF (Ret); NASA's first Flight Director, Christopher "Chris" Kraft; and former EAA President, Chairman and CEO, Tom Poberezny.
Neil Armstrong was a native of Wapakoneta, Ohio, a former Naval aviator, and a record-setting test pilot. After joining the astronaut program in 1962, he served as Command Pilot for Gemini 8 in 1966. As Spacecraft Commander on Apollo 11, he made history on July 20, 1969, by becoming the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong was inducted into the NAHF in 1979, and passed away in 2012.
The 54th Annual NAHF Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony is open to the public by advance registration only, and sponsor tables featuring premium seating remain available. A capacity crowd is expected to attend. To make reservations or for more information, visit www.nationalaviation.org or call 937-256-0944 ext.19.
