NMDCA News:
ALAMOGORDO — Five trailblazers in space exploration and science will be inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame during the New Mexico Museum of Space History’s 50th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 3, 2026.
The inductees—the Mercury 13, Michel Mayor, Mark Kelly, Scott Kelly, Creola Katherine Johnson, and Dolores “Dee” O’Hara—were selected from 45 nominees reviewed by the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation (ISHFF) Induction Committee and confirmed by the Governor’s Commission to the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
“As we celebrate both our nation’s 250th anniversary and the Museum’s 50th, this year’s induction highlights New Mexico’s unique and enduring role in advancing the space program,” said Museum Executive Director Karen Kincaid Brady. “The International Space Hall of Fame honors those who have dedicated their lives to exploring and understanding our universe, and we are thrilled to recognize this exceptional group during such a milestone year.”
The Mercury 13 were a group of accomplished women pilots who completed the same medical tests as male astronaut candidates in the early 1960s, paving the way for future generations of women in spaceflight.
Michel Mayor, a Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist from Switzerland, co‑discovered the first confirmed exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star, fundamentally expanding our understanding of planetary systems.
Mark and Scott Kelly, NASA’s identical‑twin astronauts, played a central role in NASA’s Twins Study, which produced groundbreaking scientific insights into how long-duration spaceflight affects the human body.
Katherine Johnson, a celebrated NASA mathematician, calculated the trajectories that enabled Project Mercury, Apollo missions, and early Space Shuttle flights.
Dolores “Dee” O’Hara, the first nurse assigned to America’s astronauts, supported every crewed mission from Mercury through Apollo and Skylab, laying the foundation for modern aerospace medicine.
ISHFF Board Member Joan Griggs noted the challenge of selecting only five inductees from a highly competitive slate, while ISHFF Foundation Chairman Cliff Hudson highlighted the enduring partnership between the Foundation and the Museum since its opening in 1976.
