Save the date! Join us as Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex officially honors the 2025 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame with an induction ceremony on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Watch up-close as the next batch of specially selected American astronauts receive one of the highest honors in their industry, both of them demonstrating outstanding accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery.
Guests who attend the ceremony can pick up a 2025 poster signed by the inductees, available at the Information building while supplies last. The induction ceremony will be held on the bottom floor of Space Shuttle Atlantis®. It is included with admission and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
2025 Inductees
Bernard Harris
- Bernard A. Harris received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston, a Master of Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Houston and a Doctorate of Medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine
- Harris is a veteran of two space flights: STS-55 in 1993 and STS-63 in 1995. He has logged more than 438 in space.
- Harris is the first African American to perform an extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
- Bernard has received numerous awards including. Among them are nine honorary doctorates, two NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Award of Merit, the National Space Grant Distinguished Services Award and the James Bryant Conant Award. He also is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the recipient of the 2000 Horatio Alger Award and 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
- He is currently CEO & Managing Partner of Vesalius Ventures, Inc. – a venture capital firm, that invests in early to mid-stage Healthcare technologies and companies.
Peggy Whitson
- Peggy Whitson received degrees in biology and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan University and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from Rice University.
- Whitson flew three NASA long-duration space flights: Expedition 5 in 2002, Expedition 16 in 2008 and Expedition 50/51/52 in 2016/2017. She also became the first female commander of a private space mission on Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) in 2023. She has logged 675 days in space, more than any other American astronaut or woman in the world.
- Whitson has more than 38 years of space and science experience holding various positions throughout the years, including NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office, two-time Commander of the International Space Station (ISS), Chair of NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board, NASA Operations Branch Chief, NASA Deputy Division Chief for both Medical Sciences and the Astronaut Office, and co-chair of the US/Russian Mission Science Working Group.
- Whitson is currently the Director of Human Spaceflight for Axiom space. She will command her second private space mission to the ISS, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), targeted to launch no earlier than spring 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
About the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) participated in creating a venue where space travelers could be remembered – the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which opened in 1990. Today, the foundation serves as a consultant for the Hall of Fame, which includes conducting the selection process of astronauts for enshrinement by an outside committee. The Foundation’s mission is to aid the U.S. in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships to extraordinary college students who exhibit motivation, imagination and exceptional performance in these fields, and facilitate programs to educate the public about the impact and importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the United States.
Since the inception of ASF, more than $8 million in scholarships have been distributed to more than 790 exceptional students in the fields of STEM at 46 university partners across the country with support from astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station programs who participate in this educational endeavor. For more information, visit www.AstronautScholarship.org.