WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Three former American astronauts have been inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Chris Ferguson, David Leestma, and Sandra Magnus were inducted as the class of 2022.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction served as the backdrop for the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (AHOF) in an induction ceremony held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
This year's induction brings the total number of AHOF members to 105.
Together, Ferguson, Leestma, and Magnus have a combined total of more than 200 days in space.
'Next month, Kennedy will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and with it, the six decades of innovation and exploration, and the off-world work that has improved life here on our planet, ' said Center Director Janet Petro. 'Today, we honor three people who have had a part of building that legacy through their contributions to human spaceflight,' he added.
During the ceremony, each of the inductees received an official medal and were inducted as members of the 21st class of astronauts.
NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana presented Chris Ferguson with his official medal. 'I can't think of anyone more deserving for induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and I am deeply honored to be the one allowed to present this medal,' Cabana said.
Christopher Ferguson, from Philadelphia, served as spacecraft communicator for the STS-118, 120, 128, and 129 missions. Ferguson served as pilot of STS-115 aboard Atlantis, and commanded STS-126 aboard Endeavour, and STS-135 aboard Atlantis, the final space shuttle mission.
Ferguson has accumulated 5,700 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft types. He logged more than 40 days in space. HeFerguson most recently served as a commercial astronaut for The Boeing Company, and is now the operations manager for the company.
David C. Leestma, from Muskegon, Michigan, with crewmate Kathryn Sullivan successfully conducted a three-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to demonstrate the feasibility of actual satellite refueling. Leestma has logged more than 3,500 hours of flight time, including nearly 1,500 hours in the F-14A. He logged a total of 532.7 hours in space.
Sandra Magnus, who was born in Belleville, Illinois, worked in the Astronaut Office Payloads/Habitability Branch for two years and worked with the European Space Agency, National Space Development Agency of Japan, and Brazil on science freezers, glove boxes, and other facility-type payloads. She traveled to Russia in support of hardware testing and operational products development.
Her spaceflight experience includes STS-112 aboard Atlantis in October 2002, STS-126 aboard Endeavour in November 2008, and STS-135, the final shuttle launch, aboard Atlantis in July 2011.
She became deputy chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center in September 2012. Magnus was appointed executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Magnus logged more than 150 days in space.
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