About the Debus Award

Dr. Kurt H. Debus

The Debus Award was created by the National Space Club Florida Committee to recognize significant achievements and contributions made in Florida to American aerospace efforts. It is named for the Kennedy Space Center's first Director, Dr Kurt Debus.

The award was conceived and first bestowed in 1990 as an adjunct to the Robert J. Goddard award given each year by the National Space Club in Washington, D.C. to an individual who stood out in the aerospace field on a national level. The Debus Award focuses on efforts in Florida and include individuals associated with launch vehicles, spacecraft operations, ground support services, range activities, space education and spaceport research and development.

Each honoree is presented with a small copy of the Debus Award Trophy, a stainless steel kinetic sculpture dubbed "Ribbon of Space" by its contemporary artist creator Elijah David Herschler. His work can be seen at the Kennedy Space Center, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Mercedes Benz World Headquarters in Stuttgart and New York, and numerous private collections in the United States and Europe.

Criteria for Selection

1. Be a U.S. citizen.

2. Be a Florida resident at the time of the nomination.

3. Have a professional career associated with technical achievement, education, or management of aerospace activities

4. Be recognized by the aerospace community for current significant contributions to the space program.

Past Debus Award Recipients

1990 George F. Page
Launch director for the first space shuttle mission in 1981, Page retired as a deputy director of the Kennedy Space Center after a long career in launch operations during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. He died in March 2002.

1991 Lyle J. Holloway
Long time director of launch operations for McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co.'s workhorse Delta rocket program at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

1992 Forrest McCartney
A retired three-star Air Force general was director of the Kennedy Space Center during the critical return to flight period following the 1986 Challenger disaster.

1993 Bill Nelson
A longtime U.S. Congressman for Florida's Space Coast who flew aboard shuttle Columbia during January 1986.

1994 Robert B. Sieck
Veteran NASA manager who was shuttle launch director at the Kennedy Space Center during the return to flight period following the 1986 Challenger disaster and then was director of all shuttle launch processing and operations before he retired.

1995 George Faenza
Vice President and General Manager of McDonnell Douglas Space and Defense Systems at the Kennedy Space Center responsible for preparing shuttle payloads and cargo for launch. He died in 1999.

1996 Lee Solid
Vice President and General Manager of Rockwell Florida Operations, responsible for supporting shuttle operations at the Kennedy Space Center following a lengthy career associated with rocket engines used during Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.

1997 Dr. Maxwell King
As president of Brevard Community College on Florida's Space Coast, long time community leader and supporter of education programs to benefit the aerospace and technology sectors.

1998 JoAnn Morgan
An associate director of Kennedy Space Center and NASA's first female engineer working at Cape Canaveral.

1999 Edward A. O'Connor, Jr.
First Executive Director of what is now called the Florida Space Authority, who as an Air Force officer led the shuttle Challenger debris recovery effort and later managed commercial Titan launch operations at Cape Canaveral.

2000 Ernie Briel
President of BRPH Architect and Engineering Co., with a long history of designing and building space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral dating back to Project Mercury.

2001 Roy Bridges
A retired Air Force officer and former astronaut who flew in 1985 and later commanded what is now called the 45th Space Wing, he is current director of the Kennedy Space Center.