The Space Foundation was founded in 1983, in part to honor the memory and accomplishments of astronaut John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr. A Colorado native, Swigert served with retired U.S. Navy Captain James A. Lovell, Jr., and Fred Haise on the legendary Apollo 13 lunar mission, which was aborted after the perilous rupture of an oxygen tank en route to the Moon. People around the world watched as NASA overcame tremendous odds to return the crew safely to Earth. The Space Foundation created the Jack Swigert Award for Space Exploration in 2004 in tribute to his enduring legacy of space exploration. The Jack Swigert Award is presented annually at the Space Symposium.
For 2013, the Swigert Award was presented to the mission that had the nation holding its breath as it tested an ingenious, but never-before-used landing technique, and continues to amaze with new discoveries about Mars. The NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission Team received the Jack Swigert Award for Space Exploration on April 8, 2013, during the opening ceremony of the 29th National Space Symposium at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. See more here.
Read about and see the awards presentations here:
- 29th National Space Symposium opening ceremony article, video and photos
- The John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration tribute video
Recipients
2013 NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission Team
2012 NASA Kepler Mission
2011 No award
2010 The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Mission Team
2009 NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Team
2008 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
2007 The California Institute of Technology
2006 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2005 NASA's Mars Exploration Team from JPL NASA Mars Science Laboratory Mission Team