Shatner Receives NASA Award
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William Shatner received an award from NASA on Saturday.
The award was presented to Shatner at his annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show.
Shatner received NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, which is “the highest award bestowed by the agency to non-government personnel.” The award was given “for outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery.”
“William Shatner has been so generous with his time and energy in encouraging students to study science and math, and for inspiring generations of explorers, including many of the astronauts and engineers who are a part of NASA today,” said David Weaver, NASA‘s associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “He’s most deserving of this prestigious award.”
Shatner has donated his time to NASA in the past, hosting the NASA documentary celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of space shuttle missions, recreating the famous Star Trek television introduction for a wake-up call for the STS-133 astronauts, and hosting a video presentation previewing the Mars rover Curiosity mission.
“Words cannot express my thoughts on being recognized by @NASA,” said Shatner, via his Twitter account. “I’m doubly blessed to have shared the moment with my family and friends.”
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I love the way NASA took TOS to its collective bosom in 1966, and the way the TOS stars returned the favor. Art can inspire as well as entertain, and more than one TOS star has been amazed by how many scientists have been inspired by the example of the fictional heroes they created.
Too bad the reboot movies are so much about action (and so little about science and exploration) that they’re unlikely to inspire scientific careers in the same way that TOS did….
Well they’re bound to inspire a whole new generation of extreme sports enthusiasts. Red Bull Space Jumping!