“Our sponsors and supporters will be treated to private, Astronaut-guided tours of special exhibits at the California Science Center,” said Mark Wolper, President & Executive Producer of The Wolper Organization at Warner Bros. and Chair of the Endeavor Awards Host Committee. “They’ll get a thorough introduction to the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion in the California Science Center, and they’ll get to talk with the Astronauts about what it’s like to be aboard a space shuttle, to work on a Space Station and to perform space walks such as in this linked video of Dr. Parazynski repairing a solar array on the Space Station. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Astronauts confirming attendance include Scott Parazynski, M.D., Kent Rominger and Charlie Precourt.
(Astronauts Photos & Video provided by NASA)
About The Endeavor Awards Gala:
The Endeavor Awards is an annual event honoring the pilots, individuals and support organizations, corporations and government agencies most responsible for providing Public Benefit Aviation. Sponsoring organizations will hold the inaugural Endeavor Awards event on May 4, 2014 at the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion in the California Science Center.
About Scott Parazynski, M.D.:
Born July 28, 1961, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has two beautiful children. He enjoys mountaineering, rock climbing, flying, scuba diving, skiing, travel, woodworking and nature photography. A commercial, multi-engine seaplane and instrument-rated pilot, Dr. Parazynski has logged more than 2,500 flight hours in a variety of aircraft. As a mountaineer, he has scaled major mountains in the Alaska Range, the Cascades, the Rockies, the Andes and the Himalayas. His summits include Cerro Aconcagua (22,841 feet above sea level) and all 59 of Colorado’s peaks that are more than 14,000 feet in altitude. After failing to reach the summit of Mount Everest (29,035 feet) in 2008, due to a severe back injury, on May 20, 2009, he became the first astronaut to stand on top of the world.
About Charlie Precourt:
Born June 29, 1955, in Waltham, Massachusetts, but considers Hudson, Massachusetts, to be his hometown. Married to the former Lynne Denise Mungle of St. Charles, Missouri. They have three daughters, Michelle, Sarah, and Aimee. Precourt enjoys golf and flying light aircraft. He flies a Varieze, an experimental aircraft that he built. His parents, Charles and Helen Precourt, reside in Hudson. Her mother, Jerry Mungle, resides in Pearland, Texas. STS-91 Discovery (June 2-12, 1998), commanded by Precourt, was the 9th and final Shuttle-Mir docking mission and marked the conclusion of the highly successful joint U.S./Russian Phase I Program. The crew, including a Russian cosmonaut, performed logistics and hardware resupply of the Mir during four docked days. They also conducted the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment, which involved the first of its kind research of antimatter in space.
About Kent Rominger:
Born August 7, 1956, in Del Norte, Colorado. Married to the former Mary Sue Rule. They have one child. He enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, horseback riding, and running. His parents, Mr. & Mrs. R. Vernon Rominger, reside in Del Norte, Colorado. Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Delbert Rule, of Durango, Colorado, are deceased. Selected by NASA in March 1992, Rominger reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He completed one year of training and is qualified for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Rominger was initially assigned to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch, Deputy Director, Flight Crew Operations, and Chief of the Astronaut Corps. A veteran of five space flights, Rominger logged over 1,600 hours in space. He flew as pilot on STS-73 (1995), STS-80 (1996) and STS-85 (1997), and was the crew commander on STS-96 (1999) and STS-100 (2001). In April 2005 he retired from the Navy. Rominger retired from NASA in September 2006 to accept a position with ATK Launch Systems, Utah.
Endeavor Awards Gala Sponsors:
Alaska Airlines, UCLA Health, AOPA, Tom & Mary Kay Gallagher Foundation, Jeff & Linda Hendricks Family Foundation, Kauffman Family Foundation, JetAVIVA, Tempus Aircraft Sales & Service, King Schools, Jim & Glenys Slavik, Angel Flight West and Pacific Post
About Public Benefit Aviation:
Using their own time, general aviation aircraft and gas money, pilot volunteers from the many Public Benefit Aviation organizations help hundreds of people each month, providing health, compassion, and community service.
(Astronauts Biographical Information provided by NASA)