Two space shuttle-era spacewalkers enter Astronaut Hall of Fame

“All of our spacewalks are really designed for two people; the systems are not really built to where it would be easy for three people,” Akers told CollectSpace. “That was a unique situation where we could not get Intelsat VI and capture bars on the ground [controllers] And three people in our group came up with the idea of ​​going out. With teamwork and excellent ground team support, it worked out smoothly.

Both Akers and Tanner conducted spacewalks to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), carefully manipulating delicate optical instruments in a closely confined area. Tanner also helped assemble the large backbone truss and solar array wings for the International Space Station (ISS).

“I am often asked what is the difference between the ISS and HST EVAs [extravehicular activity]And I think it’s the arm and the overall physical effort,” Tanner said. ”The manual dexterity in your hands was more important for the HST, and for the ISS, you’re moving around some very large, heavy objects and maneuvering over a long distance. That’s the biggest difference.”

In total, Akers spent about 30 hours of his approximately 34 days in space conducting spacewalks. Tanner logged 43 days, including 46 and a half hours on EVA.

join the ranks

Saturday’s ceremony was led by news correspondent John Zarella and included remarks from Kurt Brown, board chair of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which manages the nominators and selection process each year; Therin Protz, Chief Operating Officer of the Visitor Complex; and Kelvin Manning, deputy director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

“The induction of Tom Akers and Joe Tanner today honors two astronauts whose careers included excellence, leadership and service,” said Brown, who became a NASA astronaut in the same class as Akers and flew with Tanner on Atlantis. “Their enduring contributions to NASA, and their ongoing work as teachers and advisors, reflect the best of the American space program.”

“We are proud to welcome him to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame,” said Brown, a member of the 2013 class.

Brian Duffy, Class of 2016, formally inducted Akers, and presented him with his Hall of Fame medal. Chris Ferguson, who flew as pilot of Tanner’s last mission, STS-115, and who was inducted in 2022, similarly honored his former crewmate. About 20 veteran NASA astronauts, including 15 other Hall of Fame members, participated in the event.

The ceremony also included the unveiling of an etched glass portrait and mission patch display, which will go on to hang with 111 other similar plaques representing inductees. Established in 1990, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame has been a feature of the Heroes & Legends attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex since 2016.