2008 Stellar Awards Winners
The 2008 RNASA Stellar Award winners in each of four categories were announced at the banquet on April 25, 2008 at the Houston Hyatt Regency hotel.
The 2008 Stellar Evaluators were Arnold Aldrich and former National Space Trophy winners Dr. Chris Kraft Jr. and Dr. Glynn Lunney.
A listing of all the Stellar Awards Nominees was printed in the program book:
- Early Career Nominees (pdf)
- Middle Career Nominees (pdf)
- Late Career Nominees (pdf)
- Team Nominees (pdf)
Stellar Awards winners in all categories. Click here to download a high resolution version of this photo. Back row L to R: Williams (presenting), Knarr, Welsh, Harris, Finchum, Sweeney, Mulqueen, Martin, Francois, Romanofsky, Melvin (presenting). Front row: Liebman, Thomas, Peterson, Stuart, Laird, Parker, Pilet, Feeley, Nielson, Gunn-Gulkin. Not pictured: Kharmats, Lewis, Vane. Photo credit: NASA.
NOTE: Individual winner photos, with guests, and other program participants are available upon request.
The 2008 Stellar Awards were presented by Astronauts Sunita Williams, and Leland Melvin. Individual photos of winners are available on request.
Early Career Category Winners
Five Stellar Awards were presented in the 2008 Early Career category (individuals up to age 35).
2008 Stellar Awards Winners in Early Career Category. Click here to download a high resolution version of this photo.
L to R: Astronaut Leland Melvin (presenting), Jessica A. Stuart, Paul Albert Parker, 1st Lt. Anna E. Gunn-Golkin, Thomas N. Martin III, Maj. David J. Laird, and Astronaut Sunni Williams (presenting) (NASA).
A listing of all the Early Career Nominees was printed in the program. The winners were:
1st Lt. Anna E. Gunn-Golkin of the USAF, 1st Air and Space Test Squadron - Outstanding contributions to space material sciences, Missile Defense Agency development efforts, and community programs supporting space and aerospace education.
Maj. David J. Laird of the USAF, 45th Space Wing, 45th Launch Support Squadron - Outstanding contributions to enabling technologies for future space capabilities including communications and responsive space, and contributions to mission assurance for current spacecraft and space lift campaigns.
Thomas N. Martin III of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - Outstanding contributions to the design, development and testing of space flight injector and ignition systems.
Paul Albert Parker of The Boeing Company - Exemplary contributions as lead orbiter debris analyst, ensuring shuttle thermal protection system structural integrity for Earth entry.
Jessica A. Stuart of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - Leadership and technical excellence in enabling safe flight for the Delta II RS-27 engine and the Delta IV RS-68 engine.
Middle Career Category Winners
Seven Stellar Awards were presented in the Middle-Career category in 2008 (ages 36-50).
2008 Stellar Awards Winners in Middle Career Category.Click here to download a high resolution copy of this photo. Photo caption L to R: Astronaut Sunni Williams (presenting), Robert R. Romanofsky, Jeffrey P. Pilet, Jeffry S. Welsh, Mark El. Mulqueen, Dale B. Nielsen, and Astronaut Leland Melvin (presenting). (NASA)
A listing of all the Mid Career Nominees was printed in the program. The Mid-Career winners were:
Michael P. Gordon of The Boeing Company - Outstanding leadership of the orbiter leading-edge structural subsystem technical community, consistently demonstrating dedication, skill, and expertise.
J. Derek Hassmann of NASA Johnson Space Center - Exceptional professionalism, outstanding leadership and technical expertise in the preparation and execution of complex International Space Station assembly mission operations. Not present.
Mark E. Mulqueen of The Boeing Company - Exceptional leadership and technical development of the International Space Station external truss elements and successful and sustained operation of the ISS.
Dale B. Nielsen of ATK Launch Systems - Exceptional knowledge, personal dedication and outstanding technical accomplishments in resolving loads and structureal challenges for the space launch community.
Jeffery P. Pilet of the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company - Outstanding technical achievement in design, development, demonstration and verification of space shuttle external tank return-to-flight changes.
Robert R. Romanofsky of NASA Glenn Research Center - Innovative technology contributions in the research and development of novel microwave devices and systems in support of NASA's space communications programs.
Jeffry S. Welsh of the USAF, Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate - Exceptional contributions toward improving space access for experiments and demonstrations, and for increasing the understanding of failure mechanisms in composite materials.
Late Career Category Winners
Six Stellar Awards were presented in the Late-Career category in 2008 (ages over 50).
2008 Stellar Awards Winners in Late Career Category.Click here to download a high resolution copy of this photo. Photo caption L to R: Astronaut Leland Melvin (presenting), James D. Milhoan, Stephen M. Francois, Beth Williams accepting for Paul Kharmats, Peggy E. Thomas, Charles R. Knarr, David B. Harris, and Astronaut Sunni Williams (presenting). (NASA)
A complete list of Late Career nominees was printed in the program. The Late-Career winners were:
Stephen M. Francois of NASA Kennedy Space Center - More than 30 years of outstanding technical leadership of NASA's unmanned launch services, guaranteeing access to space for the delivery of on-time, on-cost, and on-orbit launch assets.
David B. Harris of NASA Johnson Space Center - For exceptional leadership in propulsion systems testing and facilities management.
Paul Kharmats of Tech Trans International - Outstanding program knowledge, skill as an international communicator, and dedication to promoting cooperation between the U.S. and its International Space Station (ISS) partners; ensuring safe collaborations in space, and enabling NASA to succeed as lead integrator for the ISS Program. Mr. Kharmats was in Russia during the event, so Tech Trans President Beth Williams accepted on his behalf.
Charles R. Knarr of United Space Alliance - Outstanding leadership, dedication, and professionalism, providing 27 years of technical and organizational achievements and innovative contributions for space shuttle and ISS flight and mission operations.
James D. Milhoan of MEI Technologies, Inc. - Excellence in and dedication to NASA human space flight programs in the area of thermal protection system development and testing.
Peggy E. Thomas of The Boeing Company - Outstanding service to human space flight throughout a career dedicated to leading development and maintenance of high-quality software for mission control and for the International Space Station.
Team Category Winners
Seven Stellar Awards were presented in the Team category in 2008.
2008 Stellar Awards Winners in Team Category. Click here to download a high resolution version of this photo. Photo caption L to R: Astronaut Sunni Williams (presenting), Daniel J. Sweeney (Booz Allen Hamilton), Joel S. Liebman (ARES), James J. Feeley (Lockheed Martin), Deborah G. Vane (JPL), Charles A. Finchum (MSFC), Colin Peterson (JSC), Harriett Lewis (ESC), and Astronaut Leland Melvin (presenting). (NASA)
A listing of all the Team nominees was printed in the program. The winners were:
Cloudsat Project Team of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Exceptional achievement by an international joint government, university and industry team in conceiving, designing, developing, and launching the CloudSat spacecraft that provides unprecedented three-dimensional perspective of Earth's clouds to answer questions about; how they form; evolve; and affect the weather, climate and fresh water supply. Award accepted by Deborah G. Vane.
External Tank-124 Hail Damage Repair Team of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company - Outstanding team achievement on the repair of the space shuttle's external tank (ET-124) hail damage. Award accepted by James J. Feeley.
Impact Test Facility Development Team of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) - Superior efforts in expanding impact test capabilities to provide NASA/MSFC with the most versatile impact test facility in the county. Award accepted by Charles A. Finchum.
Integrated Solar Array Constraints Working Group of Booz Allen Hamilton - Exceptional support to NASA Mission Control by creating and maintaining a matrix of tradeoffs between International Space Station (ISS) solar power generation capability and associated loads concerns, contamination issues, and operational feasibility for the arrays in both normal and contingency operations. Award accepted by Daniel J. Sweeney.
ISS Flight Control Command and Control Release 6 Software Upgrade Team of NASA Johnson Space Center - Successful on-orbit uplink of the International Space Station Command and Control Software Release 6 paving the way for the addition of the Node 2, Columbus, and Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Award accepted by Colin Peterson.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Team of ARES Corporation - Outstanding leadership of the NASA effort to integrate the JAXA HTV into the International Space Station, including extensive work with international partners to drive the project toward a historic launch and berthing. Award accepted by Joel S. Liebman.
Wing Leading Edge Impact Detection System Team of the Engineering and Science Contract - Exceptional dedication, teamwork, and technical excellence in certifying, implementing, improving, and monitoring the wing leading edge impact detection system. Award accepted by Harriett Lewis of Jacobs Engineering.
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