[b]NASA Astronaut Heroes Set for Induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame[/b]
The public is invited to celebrate the induction of the ninth group of space shuttle astronauts into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Veteran space shuttle astronauts Guion Bluford, Jr., Kenneth Bowersox, Frank Culbertson, Jr., and Kathryn Thornton will join the ranks of legendary space pioneers like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Sally Ride. The public ceremony at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be held Saturday, June 5 at 2:30 p.m. Jon Cryer, Emmy Award winning star of "Two and a Half Men," will host the Induction ceremony.
Each inductee brings their own chapter to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. The addition of Bluford, the first African American to fly in space; Bowersox, pilot of the first maintenance mission to restore the crippled Hubble Space Telescope; Culbertson, commander of the first space shuttle night landing at Kennedy Space Center; and Thornton, a mission specialist during the first and only three-person spacewalk, will bring the number of space explorers enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 77. More than 30 astronauts have accepted invitations to attend the ceremony including Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke, Scott Carpenter, Al Worden and Walt Cunningham.
"It is a thrill to be able to honor the men and women who gave us a gift that grows more precious and rare with each passing day: inspiration," said Jon Cryer, this year's host of the Induction ceremony. Cryer gained fame with his iconic performance as an endearing misfit in the film "Pretty in Pink," and is an Emmy Award winning actor. He is most recently known for his role in TV's #1 comedy series "Two and a Half Men."
As part of the weekend celebration, special Induction weekend ticket packages are available for $70 plus tax for adults and $50 plus tax for children 3-11 years and include the following:
[list][*]Special guided Kennedy Space Center bus tour with a Hall of Fame astronaut
[*]Reserved seating at the Induction Ceremony
[*]Commemorative poster of the 2010 Inductees
[*]Two-day admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame[/list] The special bus tour included with the Induction ticket package will be guided by one of these distinguished Hall of Fame astronauts:
[list][*]Buzz Aldrin: Gemini 12, Apollo 11 astronaut; Hall of Fame class of 1993
[*]Charlie Duke: Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot; Hall of Fame class of 1997
[*]Jack Lousma: Skylab 3 and space shuttle astronaut; Hall of Fame class of 1997
[*]George "Pinky" Nelson: Three-time space shuttle astronaut; Hall of Fame class of 2009[/list] Hall of Fame astronaut guides will be assigned at random to all tours. Autograph requests will not be honored during the tour. There are a limited number of tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Viewing of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is included with regular admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Induction weekend ticket packages are available by phone at 877-313-2610 or online at KennedySpaceCenter.com.
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