posted 01-27-2011 08:22 PM               

Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen to receive Lifetime Achievement Award for Education at USSRC event

Recognizes 23 years of "making a difference" in the lives of young people

Retired NASA engineer and one of the original members of Dr. Wernher von Braun's German rocket team, Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen, will receive the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's Lifetime Achievement Award for Education during ceremonies on Thursday, February 3, 2011. The event, entitled Tranquility Base Rendezvous, begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception and cocktails in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. The dinner program begins at 6:00 p.m. Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong will make the presentation on the behalf of the Space Center.

Dr. von Tiesenhausen, 96, retired from NASA in 1986 after more than 30 years with the space agency to begin a new career as a volunteer lecturer at Space Camp. For the next 23 years, he would share his love of science with literally hundreds of thousands of Space Camp trainees. "Dr. Von-T", as he is affectionately called, often encouraged his students to think outside the box and strive to make a difference in the world around them. An inaugural member of the Space Camp Hall of Fame, his lectures were typically referred to as a favorite activity by many hundreds of our graduates.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center will also formally unveil two new exhibits in the Davidson Center, including the new Apollo 16 Command Module display sponsored by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and an all new display for the moon rock retrieved from the lunar surface by Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean sponsored by Jacobs. A new waterfall in the Davidson Center's Apollo Courtyard, made possible by a generous donation from Ursula Mueller in memory of her late husband, Dr. Fritz Mueller, will be formally dedicated. Plus, representatives from IBM will be on-hand to reveal details of a future exhibit planned for the Davidson Center.

Tickets to the Tranquility Base Rendezvous are available by invitation only to the museum's membership and program sponsors. Seating will be limited to 600 guests.

posted 02-03-2011 03:12 PM               

Tranquility Base Rendezvous: Live Broadcast

Tonight we are honoring the many contributions of Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The Tranquility Base Rendezvous will begin this evening at 6:00 p.m. Unfortunately this event is not open to the public, but we are excited to announce that you will be able to watch a live stream of the ceremony.

Please return to this page later to view the embedded stream.

posted 02-04-2011 06:18 AM               

Neil Armstrong made a rare public appearance to present Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Education.

"Dr. von T is one of those rare individuals who has a natural ability to inform and inspire, to educate and motivate, and, most remarkably, to endure," Armstrong said.

Von Tiesenhausen, 96, is one of only a handful of surviving members of Dr. Wernher von Braun's celebrated team of rocket scientists. Among many other achievements, Von Tiesenhausen developed the Saturn V mobile launch platform that moved the giant, stacked stages of the moon rocket into place on the pad, and created the concept for the famous lunar rover.

In the mid-1980s, he began regular visits to Space Camp, speaking to the students and adults about current exploration of the universe, the space-time continuum and all things space-related. Officials said that when the trainees - primarily middle- and high-schoolers, mind you - are polled about their favorite parts of the Space Camp experience, many point to "Dr. von T."

"Science is about what is. Engineering is about what can be," Armstrong said. Von Tiesenhausen's many accomplishments demonstrate "he is and has been a person who imagines what can be. And he has the skills to convert that imagination into reality.

"He is, in my opinion, an engineer," Armstrong emphasized. "That combination of abilities is what enables him to entertain and inspire young minds, to understand the fascination of our home planet and the space around it. And make them believe that they can be a part of it. ... They can contribute to a bigger and better tomorrow."