An announcement from the NM Museum of Space History:
International Space Hall of Fame to Induct Original DC-X Team
Committee Seeks Contact Information For Missing Team Members
(Alamogordo, New Mexico) – The International Space Hall of Fame (ISHF) and the New Mexico Museum of Space History are honored to announce that the members of the original Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X) Team will be inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame (ISHF) on the evening of Saturday, August 17, 2013.
The DC-X Team will be the first group ever inducted into the ISHF. Every member of the DC-X team displayed the qualities required to be an inductee: imagination, achievement, and the dedication to further advance man’s knowledge of the universe, and his ability to explore and develop space for the benefit of all mankind. Many obstacles confronted the DC-X team as they worked towards making the dream of aircraft-like safety for affordable space travel a reality. From underfunding, to a seemingly impossible turn-around time, the team, inspired by famed astronaut and space visionary Pete Conrad, faced each obstacle with renewed determination.
“The success of the DC-X project was the result of a total-team effort encompassing industry, government, consultants and individual supporters and support groups from around the world. This total-team mounted an awesome rapid-prototyping, engineering, management, financial, and political “offensive” that focused on demonstrating that the cost of space travel could decrease while increasing safety and reliability. The program also demonstrated that multi-discipline projects could be carried out in short time spans and with reasonable budgets,” said Lt. Col. Jess Sponable (USAF Ret.), a Government Program Manager for the DC-X project, as he introduced the team at the DC-X/XA 15th Anniversary First Flight Reunion and Future Space Conference held in 2008.
The Induction Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the DC-X First Flight + 20 Anniversary and Spaceplane Conference to be held August 16, 17 & 18, 2013, at Spaceport America, NM, and the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, NM.
The Induction Ceremony will take place on the evening of August 17 in Alamogordo, New Mexico, at the New Mexico State University Alamogordo Tays Special Events Center. The team will join a prestigious group of 154 other inductees, including Neil Armstrong, Gene Kranz, Edwin Aldrin, Gene Cernan, Nicolaus Copernicus, Valentina Tereshkova, Wernher von Braun, and many other space pioneers and visionaries. For a complete list of inductees, visit http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame.
The Anniversary Committee is requesting assistance in reaching all team members. A complete list of pending inductees can be found at www.dc-xspacequest.org. Names that are highlighted in red are not on the current team contact list. “We are hoping to contact as many of the original team members as possible to let them know about the Induction. Our goal is to have as many team members here for the event as possible. Please contact me directly if you can help us find anyone highlighted on the list,” said Cathy Harper, chair of the committee and public relations director for the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
For more information on the DC-X First Flight + 20 Anniversary and Spaceplane Conference and the DC-X SpaceQuest Exhibit for New Space, contact Cathy Harper at the New Mexico Museum of Space History at 575-437-2840 ext. 41153 or cathy.harper@state.nm.us or visit www.dc-xspacequest.org.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org.