The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is an award similar to the

NASA Distinguished Service Medal The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The medal may be presented to any member of the federal government, including both milita ...

, but awarded to non-government personnel. This is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee when the service was performed.

Recipients

1967

*Dr.

Charles Stark Draper Charles Stark "Doc" Draper (October 2, 1901 – July 25, 1987) was an American scientist and engineer, known as the "father of inertial navigation". He was the founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Instrumentati ...

1969

* Harry H. Hess * T. J. O'Malley *

Frederick Seitz Frederick Seitz (July 4, 1911 – March 2, 2008) was an American physicist and a pioneer of solid state physics and lobbyist. Seitz was the 4th president of Rockefeller University from 1968–1978, and the 17th president of the United States Nat ...

Charles H. Townes Charles Hard Townes (July 28, 1915 – January 27, 2015) was an American physicist. Townes worked on the theory and application of the maser, for which he obtained the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics associated wi ...

Russell L. Schweickart Russell Louis "Rusty" Schweickart (also Schweikart; born October 25, 1935) is an American aeronautical engineer, and a former NASA astronaut, research scientist, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, as well as a former business executive and govern ...

Frank Borman Frank Frederick Borman II (born March 14, 1928) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) colonel, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, businessman, and NASA astronaut. He was the commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moo ...

1971

* Joseph G. Gavin * George E. Stoner

1972

Riccardo Giacconi Riccardo Giacconi ( , ; October 6, 1931 – December 9, 2018) was an Italian-American Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist who laid down the foundations of X-ray astronomy. He was a professor at the Johns Hopkins University. Biography Born in ...

* Brian O'Brien * Gerald J. Wasserburg

1973

* Paul B. Blasingame * Joseph F. Clayton *

Leo Goldberg Leopold Goldberg (26 January 1913 – 1 November 1987) was an American astronomer who held professorships at Harvard and the University of Michigan and the directorships of several major observatories. He was president of both the International As ...

* Clinton H. Grace * Robert E. Greer * George W. Jeffs * Thomas J. Kelly *

H. Douglas Lowrey H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet. H may also refer to: Musical symbols * H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů * H, B (musical note) * H, B major People * H. (noble) (died after 127 ...

* Joseph P. McNamara * James A. Miller * Richard H. Nelson *

Frank Press Frank Press (December 4, 1924 – January 29, 2020) was an American geophysicist. He was an advisor to four U.S. presidents, and later served two consecutive terms as president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1981–1993). He was the ...

* Theodore D. Smith

1974

Ben G. Bromberg Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( h ...

Jack M. Campbell John Moren Campbell (September 10, 1916 – June 14, 1999) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of New Mexico, 21st governor of New Mexico from January 1, 1963 until January 1, 1967. Early life and education Campbell ...

Edwin G. Czarnecki The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (die ...

Harry Dornbrand Harry Dornbrand (November 10, 1922 – May 8, 2022) was an American aerospace engineer, and a leading figure in the development of satellite technologies during the early space race era. He served as Vice President, then President of Fairchild I ...

Jesse L. Greenstein Jesse Leonard Greenstein (October 15, 1909 – October 21, 2002) was an American astronomer. His parents were Maurice G. and Leah Feingold. He earned a Ph.D, with thesis advisor Donald H. Menzel, from Harvard University in 1937, having start ...

Bruce C. Murray Bruce Churchill Murray (November 30, 1931 – August 29, 2013) was an American planetary scientist. He was a director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and co-founder of The Planetary Society. Education and early life Murray received ...

* T. J. O'Malley * William G. Purdy

1975

* Grant L. Hansen *

Willis M. Hawkins Willis Moore Hawkins (December 1, 1913 – September 28, 2004) was an aeronautical engineer for Lockheed for more than fifty years. He was hired in 1937, immediately after receiving his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U ...

* Richard B. Kershner

1976

* Edward W. Bonnett *

Antonio Ferri Antonio Ferri (5 April 1912 – 28 December 1975) was an Italian scientist, prominent in the field of aerodynamics, with a specialization in hypersonic and supersonic flight. Born in 1912 in Norcia, Italy, from 1937 he conducted research in Guido ...

* Theodore D. Smith *

Lyman Spitzer Lyman Spitzer Jr. (June 26, 1914 – March 31, 1997) was an American theoretical physicist, astronomer and mountaineer. As a scientist, he carried out research into star formation, plasma physics, and in 1946, conceived the idea of telescop ...

1977

* Laurence J. Adams * Franklin W. Kolk * Walter O. Lowrie *

Thomas G. Pownall Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...

* Francis B. Sayre * Ronald Smelt *

Kurt Waldheim Kurt Josef Waldheim (; 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. While he was running for th ...

1978

* Edward O. Buckbee * Gerald J. Wasserburg

1980

Clyde W. Tombaugh Clyde William Tombaugh (February 4, 1906 January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer. He discovered Pluto in 1930, the first object to be discovered in what would later be identified as the Kuiper belt. At the time of discovery, Pluto was cons ...

1981

Victor van Lint The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

1982

Harrison H. Schmitt Harrison Hagan Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, retired NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and the most recent living person—and only person without a background in military aviation� ...

1983

Eugene H. Levy Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

1984

Erik Quistgaard Erik Quistgaard (3 June 1921 – 11 February 2013) was a Danish engineer and Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 1980 until 1984. As head of ESA, he oversaw early stages of the Ariane launcher's development, as well as Space ...

Nichelle Nichols Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was gr ...

1988

Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

Carver G. Kennedy Carver may refer to: Places United States * Carver, Massachusetts, a town * Carver County, Minnesota ** Carver, Minnesota, a city * Carver, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Carver, Richmond, Virginia, a neighborhood * Carver, West Virgini ...

1991

* John T. Radecki * Rodger Doxsey *

Harlan James Smith Harlan James Smith (August 25, 1924 – October 17, 1991) was an American astronomer. He served as director of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory from 1963 to 1989, where, among other accomplishments, he initiated the construction of th ...

* Bert R. Bulkin

1992

John Bahcall John Norris Bahcall (December 30, 1934 – August 17, 2005) was an American astrophysicist, best known for his contributions to the solar neutrino problem, the development of the Hubble Space Telescope and for his leadership and development of th ...

Berrien Moore III Berrien Moore III is the former director of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire and the founding director of Climate Central.Riccardo Giacconi Riccardo Giacconi ( , ; October 6, 1931 – December 9, 2018) was an Italian-American Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist who laid down the foundations of X-ray astronomy. He was a professor at the Johns Hopkins University. Biography Born in ...

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

1995

Dr. Robert L. Golden Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

* Bill G Aldridge

1996

* Lori Garver

1997

Norman Ralph Augustine Norman (Norm) Ralph Augustine (born July 27, 1935) is a U.S. aerospace businessman who served as United States Under Secretary of the Army from 1975 to 1977. Augustine served as chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. He was chairma ...

2001

* Alain Bensoussan * James (Jim) F. Berry *

Yvonne Brill Yvonne Madelaine Brill (née Claeys; December 30, 1924 – March 27, 2013) was a Canadian American rocket and jet propulsion engineer. She is responsible for inventing the Electrothermal Hydrazine Thruster (EHT/Resistojet), a fuel-efficient rock ...

2002

Thomas P. Ackerman Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

* Viktor D. Blagov * Richard D. Blomberg * Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov * Glenn A. Goerke * Audrey Milroy * R. K. Chetty Pandipati * Gerald W. Smith *

Mikhail Tyurin Mikhail Vladislavovich Tyurin (russian: Михаил Владиславович Тюрин; born March 2, 1960) is a former Russian cosmonaut who flew several missions to the International Space Station and completed four spacewalks during his ca ...

* Yury V. Usachev

2003

* Daniel J. Jacob * Roger J. Bressenden * Hugh (Hamp) Wilson * Roger Chrostowski *

Barry Greenberg Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 1950 ...

Ilan Ramon Ilan Ramon ( he, אילן רמון; , born Ilan Wolfferman ; June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003) was an Israeli fighter pilot and later the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon was a Space Shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of ...

Yuri Gidzenko Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (russian: link=no, Юрий Павлович Гидзенко; born March 26, 1962) is a Russian cosmonaut. He was a test cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (TsPK). Gidzenko has flown into space thre ...

2004

Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994, he was a po ...

* Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge * Maria T. Zuber *Dr.

Laurie Leshin Laurie Leshin is an American scientist and academic administrator serving as the 10th Director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as Vice President and Bren Professor of Geochemistry and Planetary Science at California Institute of Technol ...

*Albert Reville *

William H. Webster William Hedgcock Webster (born March 6, 1924) is an American attorney and jurist who most recently served as chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council from 2005 until 2020. He was a United States district judge of the United States Distric ...

2005

* William Sample * Richard Covey *Dr.

Douglas Stanley Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

*Dr. Dennis L. Hartmann

2006

* Daniel J. Heimerdinger, Ph.D. * Bob Bishop, D.S. * Bruce H. Wendler

2007

* Jim Banke * David F. Dinges * Paul Lightsey *

Lynda Weatherman Lynda is a spelling variation of the feminine given name Linda. Notable people with the name include: People Arts and entertainment * Lynda Adams, later Hunt (1920–1997), Canadian diver * Lynda Baron (1939–2022), British television actress * L ...

2008 * Dr. Klaus P. Heiss *James R. Bathurst * James J. Cawby * George Hartig * Mark G. Jager * Linn Leblanc * Michael J. Massie * Robert J. Puckett * Ted Robinson * Harold R. Ross * Marcus Shaw * Carl Weimer, Ph.D.

2009

* Dr. Carlos T. Mata * Brian Rishikof * Lester M. Cohen * Roger W. Corson

2010

* Dennis E. Botts * Jack Trombka * Benjamin M. Herman * Jeffrey P. Sutton

2011

* Gary Dempsey - COLSA * Charles Kopicz - ERC, Inc * Robert Savoie - GEOCENT

2012

Robert Berry The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

* Raymond M. Hoff *

Peter W. Phillips Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

* Dmitry Kondratyev * James Sponnick,

United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance (ULA), legally United Launch Alliance, LLC, is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates a number of rocket vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth, a ...

* Michael L. Young,

2013

The following individuals were recognized in 2013. Individuals marked with an ''*'' was awarded between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013, outside the timing of the normal awards cycle. *

Edward C. Stone Edward Carroll Stone (born January 23, 1936) is an American space scientist, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, and former director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Biography Stone was born in Knoxvil ...

2014

The following individuals were recognized in 2014. Individuals marked with an ''*'' was awarded between April 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014, outside the timing of the normal awards cycle.

2015

* Davy A. Haynes,

Jacobs Technologies Jacobs may refer to: Businesses and organisations *Jacob's, a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in Ireland and the UK *Jacobs (coffee), a brand of coffee * Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company, former American aircraft engine compan ...

ESSSA Group, Engineering Directorate

2016

The following individuals were recognized June 28, 2016. * Thomas A. Glavich *

Stamatios Krimigis Stamatios (Tom) M. Krimigis ( el, Σταμάτιος Κριμιζής, born September 10, 1938) is a Greek-American scientist in space exploration. He has contributed to many of the United States' unmanned space exploration programs of the Solar S ...

* Stephen E. Kulczycki * Therrin H. Protze *

Alan Stern Sol Alan Stern (born November 22, 1957) is an American engineer and planetary scientist. He is the principal investigator of the ''New Horizons'' mission to Pluto and the Chief Scientist at Moon Express. Stern has been involved in 24 suborbital ...

2017

The following individuals were recognized June 15, 2017.

2018

The following individuals were recognized August 2, 2018.

2019

The following individuals were recognized August 28, 2019.

Unknown date

References

External links

NASA Medals directory

(1969–1978) {{NASA decorations Awards and decorations of NASA Distinguished service awards