Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The National Space Club & Foundation honored two leaders from NASA's Johnson Space Center for their significant contributions to human spaceflight. Howard Hu, Orion Program Manager, received the Norman L. Baker Astronautics Engineer Award for his technical leadership in the design, development, production, and operations of the Orion spacecraft, central to Artemis missions to the Moon.
Hu has held key roles in the Orion program, including Vehicle System Performance and Analysis lead, deputy program manager, and manager of avionics, power, and software. Under his leadership, the Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, completing a 10-day crewed flight around the Moon. The crew included NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission reached 252,756 miles from Earth, setting a human spaceflight distance record and demonstrating Orion's critical life support and system capabilities with astronauts aboard.
NASA is now focusing on Artemis III, which will evaluate integrated operations between Orion and the human landing system in lunar orbit, moving closer to returning astronauts to the Moon.
Dana Weigel, International Space Station Program Manager, received the Eagle Manned Mission Award for leading the development, integration, and operations of the ISS. The station marked 25 years of continuous human presence on November 2, 2025, serving as a testbed for future commercial low Earth orbit destinations and supporting Artemis lunar missions and future Mars exploration.
Weigel has held several leadership positions within the ISS program, maintaining the station's key role in advancing human spaceflight capabilities.