The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress in 1969 to recognize "any astronaut who in the performance of his duties has distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and mankind." It is awarded by the President on recommendations from the NASA Administrator. The award is a separate decoration from the Medal of Honor, which is a military award for extreme bravery and gallantry in combat. Although the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is a civilian award of the United States government, it is authorized as a military decoration for display on U.S. military uniforms due to the prestige of the decoration. In such cases, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is worn as a ribbon following all United States Armed Forces decorations. To be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, an astronaut must perform feats of extraordinary accomplishment while participating in actual space flight under the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Typically, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor is awarded for scientific discoveries or actions of tremendous benefit to mankind. The decoration may also be awarded for extreme bravery during a space emergency or in preventing a major space disaster. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor may also be presented posthumously to those astronauts who died in the line of duty while performing a United States space mission.
Recipients
As of 2006, 28 astronauts have been honored with the award, which is presented by the President of the United States in Congress's name.
| Date | Name (†posthumous) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978-10-01 | Neil Armstrong | Apollo 11 (first lunar landing, Commander) |
| 1978-10-01 | Frank Borman | Apollo 8 (first lunar orbit, Commander) |
| 1978-10-01 | Charles "Pete" Conrad | Skylab (first Commander) |
| 1978-10-01 | John Glenn | Mercury-Atlas 6 (first American in orbit) |
| 1978-10-01 | Virgil "Gus" Grissom† | Apollo 1 and Gemini 3 (Commander) |
| 1978-10-01 | Alan Shepard | Mercury-Redstone 3 (first American in space) |
| 1981-05-19 | John W. Young | STS-1 (first shuttle flight, Commander) |
| 1993-01-19 | Thomas P. Stafford | Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (U.S. Commander) |
| 1995-07-26 | James Lovell | Apollo 13 (Commander) |
| 1996-12-02 | Shannon Lucid | Longest female spaceflight (passed by Sunita Williams) |
| 1997-12-17 | Roger Chaffee† | Apollo 1 |
| 1997-12-17 | Edward White† | Apollo 1 and Gemini 4 (first U.S. space walk) |
| 2003-01-15 | William Shepherd | Expedition 1 (first ISS Commander) |
| 2004-02-03 | Dick Scobee† | STS-51-L (Challenger, Commander) |
| 2004-02-03 | Michael Smith† | STS-51-L (Challenger) |
| 2004-02-03 | Judith Resnik† | STS-51-L (Challenger) |
| 2004-02-03 | Ellison Onizuka† | STS-51-L (Challenger) |
| 2004-02-03 | Ronald McNair† | STS-51-L (Challenger) |
| 2004-02-03 | Greg Jarvis† | STS-51-L (Challenger) |
| 2004-02-03 | Christa McAuliffe† | STS-51-L (Challenger, teacher) |
| 2004-07-23 | Rick Husband† | STS-107 (Columbia, Commander) |
| 2004-07-23 | Willie McCool† | STS-107 (Columbia) |
| 2004-07-23 | Michael P. Anderson† | STS-107 (Columbia) |
| 2004-07-23 | Kalpana Chawla† | STS-107 (Columbia) |
| 2004-07-23 | David M. Brown† | STS-107 (Columbia) |
| 2004-07-23 | Laurel B. Clark† | STS-107 (Columbia) |
| 2004-07-23 | Ilan Ramon† | STS-107 (Columbia, first non-U.S. citizen recipient) |
| 2006-04-26 | Robert Crippen | STS-1 (first shuttle flight, Pilot) |
