NASA Distinguished Service Medal

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The medal may be presented to any member of the federal government, including both military astronauts and civilian employees.

The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to those who display distinguished service, ability, or courage, and have personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.

Typical presentations of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal included awards to senior NASA administrators, mission control leaders, and astronauts who have completed several successful space flights. Due to the prestige of the award, the decoration is authorized for wear on active uniforms of the United States military. Another such authorized decoration is the NASA Space Flight Medal.

Upon the recommendation of NASA, the president may award an even higher honor to astronauts, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

The medal was original awarded by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was inherited by NASA. The first NASA version (type I), featuring the NASA seal, was issued from 1959 until 1964, when it was replaced by the current type II medal (shown).

• John W. Crowley, Jr., NASA Director of Aeronautical and Space Research

• Alan Shepard (May 8)
• Virgil I. Grissom (July 22)

• John Glenn
• Robert Gilruth
• Scott Carpenter
• Wally Schirra (October 15)
• Forrest S. Petersen, X-15 pilot
• Robert White, X-15 pilot
• Joseph A. Walker, X-15 pilot
• Walter C. Williams

• Gordon Cooper

• Wally Schirra (December 30) (second award)

• James Webb
• Alexander Flax

• Edwin E. Aldrin
• Neil A. Armstrong
• Alan L. Bean
• Michael Collins
• Charles Conrad
• Richard F. Gordon
• Fred W. Haise
• James A. Lovell (second award)
• Thomas O. Paine
• John L. Swigert

• Charles J. Donlan
• James B. Irwin
• Vincent L. Johnson
• Walter J. Kapryan
• Eugene F. Kranz
• Bruce T. Lundin
• Glynn S. Lunney
• James A. McDivitt
• Edgar D. Mitchell
• Bernard Moritz
• Dale D. Myers
• Oran W. Nicks
• Stuart A. Roosa
• David R. Scott (second award)
• Alan B. Shepard (second award)
• Sigurd A. Sjoberg
• John W. Townsend
• Alfred M. Worden

• Charles M. Duke
• Paul Werner Gast
• William R. Lucas
• Hans M. Mark
• Thomas K. Mattingly
• Richard C. McCurdy
• William T. Pecora
• Dan Schneiderman
• John W. Young (second award)

• William H. Bayley

• Robert L. Crippen
• Paul C. Donnelly
• Howard S. Hardcastle
• James B. Odom
• Andrew J. Stofan
• John F. Yardley
• Walter C. Williams (second award)

• Robert O. Aller

• Willis H. Shapley (second award)

• John R. Casani

• Berrien Moore III
• Mark Albrecht
• Story Musgrave

• Joseph H Rothenberg

• Dr. Charles J. Pellerin
• Bill G. Aldridge

• Gerald M. Smith
• William J. O'Neil

• Jerome Apt

• Joseph H Rothenberg

• Jack Brooks
• Claude Nicollier
• Courtney Stadd
• James S. Voss
• Joseph Philip Loftus

• Scott E. Parazynski

• Kalpana Chawla
• William McCool
• Axel Roth
• Brock "Randy" Stone
• Lott W. Brantley Jr.
• G. Scott Hubbard
• Edward T. Lu

• Firouz Naderi

• Eileen M. Collins

• Douglas Hendriksen

• Walter Cunningham
• Donn Eisele
• Fuk Li
• Walter Schirra (Third Award)
• E. Myles Standish
• Richard Sunseri

• Christopher Scolese
• Stephanie D. Wilson

• List of NASA awards

• NASA awards
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards (1969–1978)
• List of NASA medal recipients