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Roy Bridges and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly inducted to Astronaut Hall of Fame

Jamie Groh, Florida Today

May 9, 2023 at 1:50 AM·5 min read

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Update: SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Thursday, May 11, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET for the next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Two well-known, veteran NASA astronauts were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this weekend.

The Saturday ceremony honoring former Kennedy Space Center Director Roy Bridges and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly took place under the space shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Bridges and Kelly join 105 others in receiving the honor since the Hall of Fame opened in 1990.

Their names will be enshrined at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame located in the Heroes & Legends attraction at the Visitor Complex.

A black-tie event hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation following the induction ceremony Saturday evening was set to celebrate the newest Hall of Fame members.

“This year’s class is another example of excellence from our space program," said Curt Brown, board chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, in a statement.

About the ceremony

Attendees included high-level NASA leadership: Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning.

Family members of the honorees also in attendance included Mark Kelly's wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and Kelly's identical twin brother and former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. Following his own induction in 2020, the brothers became the first pair of siblings and the only set of identical twins to hold places in the Hall of Fame.

Many veteran NASA astronauts including Robert Crippin, Rusty Schweickart, Garrett Reisman, Michael Lopez Alegria, and Karen Nyberg, among others, also attended.

Meet the 2023 inductees:

Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings

SpaceX launch: More Starlink internet satellites lofted from Cape Canaveral in Florida

Both men served as pilots of NASA's space shuttle program. Bridges flew shuttle Challenger during his career, while Kelly flew Discovery and Endeavour.

"What links Roy and Mark is that they not only pushed the limits of humanity's reach, but they both showed their humanity continuing to serve NASA and our nation beyond their days as astronauts as Center director and U.S. Senator," Nelson said Saturday. "Both have that daring spirit but also the spirit of a servant leader."

Official portrait of former NASA astronaut Roy D. Bridges Jr., who served as director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center from 1997 to 2003.

Bridges is a retired Air Force major general. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1980 before serving as director of KSC from 1997 to 2003. He then joined Northrop Grumman as a director, where he was responsible for business with the Department of Energy before retiring in 2019.

"I'm truly honored to share the stage with all those who have been up here, as well as Senator Kelly," Bridges said. "I never expected to be on this stage."

Kelly, now U.S. Senator for Arizona, joins the Hall of Fame as the second sitting senator to be inducted after John Glenn in 1990. Before being selected for astronaut duties by NASA in 1996 as part of the same class as his twin brother Scott, he served as a combat pilot in the Navy.

An official portrait of former NASA astronaut Mark E. Kelly who is now a sitting U.S. Senator.

"It is really such an honor to be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame," Kelly said Saturday. "I'm grateful to be born in a country as the son of two police officers to watch the Apollo missions from their living room floor to go on to reach the heights of the world's greatest space program."

He flew to space four times, spending more than 50 days in microgravity. He retired from the Navy with the rank of captain and, after commanding shuttle Endeavour on its final flight, retired from NASA in 2011.

"As special as it was to be an astronaut, nothing compares to doing it with your clone," Kelly said. "The list of human beings who have made a greater contribution to space exploration than my brother Scott is very, very short. It means even more to be joining these ranks with you."

What are the requirements?

Inside the Heroes and Legends attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, a statue of astronaut Alan Shepard, America's first person in space, stands just inside the doors to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. In addition to displays honoring the Americans currently enshrined in the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, the facility looks back to the pioneering efforts of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. It sets the stage by providing the background and context for space exploration and the legendary men and women who pioneered the nation's journey into space.

First spearheaded by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts in 1990, a new Hall of Fame was opened in 2016 as part of the Visitor Complex's Heroes & Legends attraction.

Selection to receive the honor is determined by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians, and journalists. It's administered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

Eligibility for induction is determined by a few criteria:

An astronaut must have made his or her first flight at least 15 years before the induction.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Must have served as a NASA-trained space shuttle commander, pilot, mission specialist, International Space Station commander, or flight engineer.
Must have orbited Earth at least once.
The last day eligible for flight a NASA astronaut flight assignment was at least five years before nomination.

When's the next launch?

At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX teams are preparing for another launch of a Falcon 9 rocket packed with more of the company's Starlink internet satellites. Liftoff is tentatively scheduled between midnight and 2 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 9, from Launch Complex 40.

Look for FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team live launch coverage of both missions set to begin 90 minutes before liftoff at https://www.floridatoday.com/space/. For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.

Launch Tuesday, May 9:

Company / Agency: Internal SpaceX mission
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: Between midnight and 2 a.m. EDT
Trajectory: TBD
Weather: TBD
Landing: Drone ship
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
About: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's latest batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and land the Falcon 9 first-stage booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It will be the 23rd mission to fly from Florida this year.