NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
Type	Medal
Awarded for	"a significant, specific accomplishment or substantial improvement in operations, efficiency, service, financial savings, science, or technology which contributes to the mission of NASA."
Country	United States
Presented by	the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Eligibility	Government employees only
Status	Active
Established	1991
NASA Exceptional Achievement Ribbon
Precedence
Next (higher)	Outstanding Leadership Medal
Equivalent	Outstanding Service Medal (obsolete) Exceptional Service Medal
Next (lower)	Exceptional Achievement Medal Exceptional Service Medal Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal Exceptional Administrative Achievement Medal Equal Employment Opportunity Medal

The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal is an award of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration established in 1991. The medal is awarded to both civilian members of NASA and military astronauts.

To be awarded the medal, a NASA employee must make substantial contributions characterized by a substantial and significant improvement in operations, efficiency, service, financial savings, science, or technology which directly contribute to the mission of NASA. For civilians, the decoration is typically bestowed to mid-level and senior NASA administrators who have supervised at least four to five successful NASA missions. Astronauts may be awarded the decoration after two to three space flights.

Due to its prestige, the medal is authorized as a military decoration for display on active duty military uniforms upon application from the service member to the various branch of the military in which they serve.

Notable recipients

• Chris Adami, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, physicist
• Richard Arenstorf, Vanderbilt University, mathematician
• Gordon Cooper, astronaut
• Carl Sagan, astronomer
• Alan Shepard, astronaut
• John Young, astronaut
• Charles L. Bennett, observational astrophysicist
• Nancy Roman, astronomer, NASA executive
• Stephen P. Maran, astronomer

Selected recipients by year

There are usually more than 100 recipients of this medal annually. For example, there were 177 recipients in 2010.

• Prem Chand Pandey, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1985 (NASA Certificate of Recognition and Cash Award)
• David Rochblatt, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Engineer, 1995 (NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 2012)
• Jon T. Adams, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Scatterometer Radio Frequency Subsystem, 1997
• Gary Flandro, University of Tennessee, UTSI, 1998
• Miguel San Martín, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1998

• John R. Casani, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1999, 2000
• Joan Feynman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2002
• Stephen G. Ungar, Goddard Space Flight Center, Earth Observing-1 Mission Scientist, 2002
• Kevin Delin, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Sensor Web Inventor, 2004
• Adam Steltzner, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2004
• Keith Presson, Marshall Space Flight Center MPLM Project Office, 2005
• Carlos Ortiz Longo, Johnson Space Center, 2005
• Robert Sherwood, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Autonomous Sciencecraft Project Manager, 2005
• Mian Chin, Goddard Space Flight Center, physical scientist, 2005
• Rodney N. Phillips, Marshall Space Flight Center, Structural Dynamics Test Engineer, 2006
• Michael Dalton, Kennedy Space Center, Computer Systems Engineer, 2007
• Ashok Srivastava, Ames Research Center, Data Mining and Machine Learning, 2007
• Quang-Viet Nguyen, Glenn Research Center, Research Aerospace Engineer, 2007^[1]
• Angelita Castro-Kelly, Mission Operations Manager, 2007^[2]
• Michael A. Gross, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Phoenix Project Payload Manager, 2009
• Ryan M. Lien, Johnson Space Center, Lead ISS CAPCOM Expedition_17, 2009
• Eric Becker, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Deputy Director of Flight Operations, 2009
• Jonathan H. Jiang, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Research Scientist, 2010
• Michael Engle, Johnson Space Center, Chief Engineer, Astronaut Office, 2010
• Gustavo Carreno, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Avionics Supervisor, 2011
• Philip Hall, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Global Hawk Deputy Project Manager, 2011
• Kevin D. James, Ames Research Center, Senior Research Engineer, ARIES/ORION Launch Abort Flight Dynamics Tests, 2011
• Terry D. Rolin, Ph.D., Marshall Space Flight Center, Avionics Failure Analyst, 2011
• Eddie Zavala, Armstrong Flight Research Center, SOFIA Program Manager, 2011
• Patrick Hogan Ames Research Center, NASA WorldWind Project Manager, 2012
• Charles C. Cramer, Langley Research Center, Special Agent, 2012
• Jonathan H. Jiang, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Principal Scientist, 2013
• Brett A. Smith, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dawn Attitude Control Team Leader, 2013
• Kobie Boykins, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Senior Mechanical Engineer, 2013^[3]
• Stephen D. Van Genderen, Kennedy Space Center, Thermal Fluids Systems Analysis Engineer, 2014
• Geoffrey S. Sage, Goddard Space Flight Center, Procurement Analyst, 2015
• Guy T. Noffsinger, NASA Headquarters, Senior Television Producer - NASA Television, 2015
• Justin C. Pane, Ames Research Center, Contracting Officer, 2015
• David K. Tow, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Range Systems Engineer, 2015
• Jennifer C. Franzo John C. Stennis Space Center, 2016
• Carlos A. Gomez-Rosa, Goddard Space Flight Center, MAVEN Mission Director, 2016
• Quang-Viet Nguyen, NASA Headquarters, DSCOVR Program Executive, 2016^[4]
• David Howard Matthews, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Communications Security Program Manager, 2016^[5]
• Rita Sambruna, NASA Headquarters, 2019
• Ryan Lien, Johnson Space Center, 56 Soyuz Mishap ISS Short Term Impact Team Lead Soyuz MS-10, 2020

See also

• List of NASA awards

References

External links

• NASA awards
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards (1969-1978)