Gala Celebrates Colorado Space Heroes

Colorado Space Heroes Hall of Fame Gala
Honoring the past, inspiring the future.

It is time to honor and celebrate those who have advanced space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity, and Colorado’s role in inspiring the next generation of space heroes.

To honor the astronauts, aerospace executives, government officials, military leaders and others who have contributed most significantly to the development and success of Colorado’s space economy, the Space Foundation has created the Colorado Space Heroes Hall of Fame. The first honorees were announced in August, and will be recognized at a black tie gala, to be held in Denver on Oct. 7, during World Space Week. The honorees are:

• General James V. Hartinger, USAF (Ret.), for his work as Commander in Chief, North American Air Defense Command, Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and as the first Commander of U.S. Air Force Space Command
• Ronald M. Sega, Ph.D., for his work as a NASA astronaut; Professor and Director, Systems Engineering Programs, Colorado State University; Director of Defense Research & Engineering; and leadership in the U.S. Air Force Reserve (retired Major General)
• Alan Stern, Ph.D., for leading NASA’s New Horizons mission to the Pluto system and the Kuiper Belt, his work as a planetary scientist, space program executive, aerospace consultant and author; named to the Time 100 in 2007 and 2016
• The Honorable Peter B. Teets, for his work on space programs at Martin Marietta; for his leadership as President of Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, and President of Martin Marietta Space Group; his global industry leadership as President and Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin Corp.; and his service as 13th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force

The past is our history and the vehicle that has carried us to this moment. Our future resides in the schoolchildren who visit the Space Foundation Discovery Center each week, but they need the vehicle to succeed. Our robust and innovative Space Foundation education programs are that vehicle. Learn more by visiting the Colorado Space Heroes Hall of Fame webpage here.

This article is part of Space Watch: October 2016 (Volume: 15, Issue: 10).