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Legendary Space Shuttle Astronauts Shannon Lucid and
Jerry Ross to be Inducted into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame® May 3
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Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
to Host Induction Ceremony at Space Shuttle Atlantis (SM)
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Lucid and Ross were selected by NASA to become astronauts within two years of each other; Lucid in 1978 and Ross in 1980. Now retired, both achieved honorable milestones throughout their careers with NASA. Lucid joined the first U.S. astronaut class to include women and held the record until 2007 for the most flight hours in orbit by a female astronaut (5,354 hours, or 223 days). Ross was the first to break the world record for being the first human launched into space seven times.

The location for the induction ceremony is fitting as both Lucid and Ross flew several times on Atlantis.

Atlantis carried Lucid to Mir for her historic 188 days on the space station in 1996. President Bill Clinton presented Lucid with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for her service aboard Mir, making her the first woman to receive the award. Lucid again flew on Atlantis for missions STS-34 and STS-43.
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Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross

More than 25 legendary astronauts and space icons will walk the red carpet for the induction ceremony including 2013 inductees Curt Brown, Eileen Collins and Bonnie Dunbar, as well as John Blaha, Karol “Bo” Bobko, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, Vance Brand, Dan Brandenstein, Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, Dick Covey, Frank Culbertson, Walt Cunningham, Owen Garriott, Hoot Gibson, Dick Gordon, Fred Gregory, Fred Haise, Steve Hawley, Jeff Hoffman, Edgar Mitchell, Pinky Nelson, Charlie Precourt, Brewster Shaw, Loren Shriver, Tom Stafford, Kathy Thornton and Jim Wetherbee.

Lucid and Ross will join the ranks of legendary space pioneers like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Sally Ride and John Young – all distinguished members of the Hall of Fame. Earlier inductees represent the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs. The addition of Lucid and Ross brings the number of space explorers enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 87.

The 2014 inductees were selected by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians and journalists. The process is administered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. To be eligible, an astronaut must have made his or her first flight at least 17 years before the induction. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen and a NASA-trained commander, pilot or mission specialist who has orbited the earth at least once.

About Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex brings to life the epic story of the U.S. space program, offering a full day or more of fun and educational activities, including the Kennedy Space Center Tour featuring the Saturn V Center with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the Angry Birds™ Space Encounter, Shuttle Launch Experience, 3D IMAX® space films, Astronaut Encounter, Exploration Space: Explorers Wanted and many other interactive exhibits. The new $100 million home for Space Shuttle Atlantis (SM) opened June 29, 2013. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft and the world’s largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia, which opens daily at noon and closing times vary by season. Only 45 minutes from Orlando, Fla., Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. with closing times varying by season. Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Commander’s Club Annual Pass is $75 + tax for adults and $60 + tax for children ages 3-11. For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

About the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
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 Astronaut Scholarship 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. ASF has awarded over $3.5 million to outstanding Astronaut Scholars nationwide. More than 100 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station programs participate in this educational endeavor. For more information, call 321-459-4872 or visit www.AstronautScholarship.org.

About Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts
Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts is an industry leader, providing Stewardship and Hospitality in Special Places (SM) with hotel, retail, food service, recreation and transportation operations at historic and scenic properties in North America and Australia. The company operates Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida; in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Olympic (Kalaloch Lodge), Shenandoah and Yosemite national parks, including The Ahwahnee and other Yosemite lodges; The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio; Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa in British Columbia; Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Niagara Falls State Park. The company also owns and operates Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite; the Park Gate Lodges at Yellowstone, which are the West Yellowstone Holiday Inn, Gray Wolf Inn and Suites and Yellowstone Park Hotel, as well as the new Explorer Cabins, all in West Yellowstone, Mont.; and five luxury resorts in Australia: Lizard Island Resort, Heron Island Resort, Wilson Island Resort, Kings Canyon Resort and El Questro Homestead and Wilderness Park. To learn more about Delaware North Companies’ hospitality management expertise, visit www.DelawareNorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.

About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the largest and most admired privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded and owned for nearly 100 years by the Jacobs family, it is a global leader in hospitality and food service. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Through these companies, Delaware North manages and provides food and beverage concessions, premium dining, entertainment, lodging, and retail at many large venues and special places. These include high-profile venues ranging from sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, national parks, airports, and some of the top regional casinos in the country. Delaware North Companies has revenue exceeding $2.9 billion annually and 55,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.
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Media Contact:
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Andrea Farmer, 321-449-4318
Angelica Deluccia Morrisey, 321-449-4273

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