Apr 23, 2009 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College (HMC) alumnus George "Pinky" Nelson ’72 will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame during a public ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Saturday, May 2, 2009.

Nelson, along with fellow astronauts William Shepherd and Jim Wetherbee, will join an elite group of legendary American space heroes that includes Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Sally Ride and John Young.

This is the eighth group of space shuttle astronauts named to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Earlier inductees represent the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs. The addition of Nelson, one of only four space shuttle astronauts to fly the Manned Maneuvering Unit untethered in space; Shepherd, commander of the first crew to man the International Space Station; and Wetherbee, commander of the longest docked shuttle-Mir mission, will bring the number of space explorers enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 73.

"It is an honor to be recognized by your peers for the work that you did not only in space, but also on the ground to support space exploration," Nelson said of the honor. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for the experiences I had at Harvey Mudd-learning physics for sure, but also the patient mentoring of Howard and Iris Critchell, who did for me what they have done for so many students. They helped me develop the confidence to apply the theory I was learning to the real world wonder of flight. In the end it's turned out okay."

In addition to a B.S. degree from HMC, Nelson earned a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and served as a NASA astronaut from 1978 to 1989. He is currently the director of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education and an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Western Washington University (WWU).

He is the former director of AAAS Project 2061, the education officer-elect of the American Astronomical Society and served as associate vice provost for research at the University of Washington. Nelson is also principal investigator for the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership, an NSF-funded project that partners WWU with other local colleges in engaging young people in the pursuit of science.

Also representing HMC at the Astronaut Hall of Fame ceremony will be Astronaut Scholar Nadia Abuelezam ’09, whose travel and attendance will be sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which funds the scholarship. Abuelezam is one of only 19 students in the U.S. who were named Astronaut Scholars for this academic year.

"I am very excited for the opportunity to not only tour the Kennedy Space Center, but also to meet so many well-respected and talented astronauts," said Abuelezam. "I look forward to speaking with them and sharing my interest in the sciences and mathematics, as I am sure they are all brilliant scholars themselves.

"In addition to meeting the astronauts, I will also have the opportunity to interact with other Astronaut Scholars from across the nation and who are working in a variety of different disciplines. Sharing experiences and stories is sure to be a wonderful time as well. I have never met George "Pinky" Nelson before, but am very excited to meet him in person and share Mudd stories. It is so motivating and inspiring to see a Mudd alum be honored in this way."

After graduation, Abuelezam will be attending Harvard University to begin studies its Doctor of Science Program in Epidemiology.