KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director and former astronaut Roy D. Bridges, Jr., (left) shakes hands with former astronaut James Lovell following a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame as part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Invited guests and dignitaries look on, such as, from left, former astronauts Edward G. Gibson, Edgar D. Mitchell, Jack R. Lousma, Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck, and Buzz Aldrin (far right). The ceremony was held in conjunction with the induction of four Space Shuttle astronauts into the Hall of Fame including Daniel Brandenstein, Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Story Musgrave, and Sally Ride. Conceived by six of the Mercury Program astronauts, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The four new inductees join 48 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

2003-06-20