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Scouting and Space Exploration

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The BSA launched the Space Exploration merit badge in 1965.

  • Since then, over 420,000 badges have been earned by Scouts.
  • The requirements for earning this badge may include:
    • building, launching, and recovering a model rocket
    • designing an earth-orbiting space station
    • learning how satellites stay in orbit
    • and more…(See www.scouting.org for exact requirements.)

NASA provides students, particularly Scouts, with many opportunities.

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration selected the first group of
astronauts in 1959.

  • Of the 320 pilots and scientists selected since 1959, 181 were in Scouting.
  • Of the 12 men to walk on the moon, 11 were Scouts.

Alphabetical Listing of Astronauts Who Were Scouts
Includes highest rank earned, NASA flight experience, and hometown.
(c, current astronaut; f, former astronaut; d, deceased)
Source: NASA 2005 Fact Book

Richard R. Arnold, c
Webelos
STS-119
Bowie, Maryland

James P. Bagian, M.D., P.E., f
Eagle Scout
STS-29, STS-40
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Michael A. Baker, c
Life Scout
STS-43, STS-52, STS-68, STS-81
Lemoore, California

Michael R. Barratt, M.D., c
Explorer
Soyuz TMA-14, ISS, STS-71
Vancouver, Washington

Daniel T. Barry, M.D., Ph.D., f
Star Scout
STS-72, STS-96, STS-105
South Hadley, Massachussets

Charles A. Bassett II, d
Life Scout
Dayton, Ohio

Alan L. Bean, f
First Class Scout
Apollo 12, lunar surface, Skylab 3
Houston, Texas

Michael J. Bloomfield, f
First Class Scout
STS-86, STS-97, STS-110
Lake Fenton, Michigan

Guion S. Bluford Jr., f
Eagle Scout Scout
STS-8, STS 61-A, STS-39, STS-53
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Charles F. Bolden Jr., c
Second Class Scout
STS-61-C, STS-31, STS-45, STS-60
Columbia, South Carolina

Kenneth D. Bowersox, f
Eagle Scout
STS-50, STS-73, STS-82, STS-113, ISS, Soyuz TMA-1
Bedford, Indiana

Charles E. Brady Jr., d
Eagle Scout
STS-78
Pinehurst, North Carolina

Vance D. Brand, f
Life Scout
Apollo-Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, STS-35
Longmont, Colorado

Roy D. Bridges Jr., f
Life Scout
STS-51F
Williamsburg, Virginia

David M. Brown, d
Life Scout
STS-107 (Columbia)
Arlington, Virginia

Curtis L. Brown Jr., f
Cub Scout
STS-47, STS-66, STS-77, STS-85, STS-95, STS-103
Elizabethtown, North Carolina

James F. Buchli, f
Second Class Scout
STS-51C, STS-61A, STS-29, STS-48
Fargo, North Dakota

John S. Bull, d
Rank Unknown
Memphis, Tennessee

Daniel C. Burbank, c
Cub Scout
STS-106
Yarmouthport, Massachussets

Daniel W. Bursch, f
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-51, STS-68, STS-77, STS-108, ISS, STS-111
Vestal, New York

Charles J. Camarda, c
First Class Scout
STS-114
Ozone Park, Queens,
New York

Kenneth D. Cameron, f
Star Scout
STS-37, STS-56, STS-74
Rocky River, Ohio

Duane G. “Digger” Carey, f
Cub Scout
STS-109
St. Paul, Minnesota

Scott Carpenter, f
Second Class Scout
Aurora 7
Boulder, Colorado

Gerald P. Carr, f
Eagle Scout
Skylab 4
Santa Ana, California

Manley Lanier “Sonny” Carter Jr., d
Eagle Scout
STS-33
Warner Robins, Georgia

John H. Casper, c
Life Scout
STS-36, STS-54, STS-62, STS-77
Gainesville, Georgia

Eugena A. Cernan, f
Second Class Scout
Gemini IX, Apollo 10, Apollo 17, lunar surface
Maywood, Illinois

Roger B. Chaffee, d
Eagle Scout
Grand Rapid, Michigan

Gregory Errol Chamitoff, Ph.D., c
Eagle Scout
Expedition 17-18 ISS, STS-124, STS-126
Montreal, Canada

Michael R. “Rich” Clifford, f
First Class Scout
STS-53, STS-59, STS-76
Ogden, Utah

Michael L. Coats, f
First Class Scout
STS 41-D. STS-29, STS-39
Riverside, California

Charles Conrad Jr., d
Cub Scout
Gemini V, Gemini XI, Apollo XII, Skylab II
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

L. Gordon Cooper Jr., d
Life Scout Scout
Faith 7, Gemini 5
Ventura, California

Richard O. Covey, f
Eagle Scout
STS 51-I, STS-26, STS-38, STS-61
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

John O. Creighton, f
Eagle Scout
STS-51G, STS-36, STS-48
Seattle, Washington

Frank L. Culbertson Jr., f
Second Class Scout
STS-38, STS-51, STS-105, ISS, STS-108
Holly Hill, South Carolina

Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr., c
Webelos
STS-118
Washington, D.C.

Brian Duffy, f
Cub Scout
STS-45, STS-57, STS-72, STS-92
Rockland, Massachussets

Charles M. Duke Jr., f
Eagle Scout
Apollo 16, lunar surface
Charlotte, North Carolina

James P. Dutton Jr., c
Cub Scout
assigned to STS-131
Eugene, Oregon

Donn F. Eisele, d
Eagle Scout
Apollo VII
Columbus, Ohio

Anthony W. England, Ph.D, f
Star Scout
STS-51F
West Fargo, North Dakota

Joe H. Engle, f
First Class Scout
STS-51I
Dickinson County, Kansas

Ronald E. Evans, d
Life Scout
Apollo 17
Scottsdale, Arizona

John M. Fabian, f
Life Scout
STS-7, STS-51G
Pullman, Washington

C. Michael Faole, Ph.D., c
Wolf Scout (equivalent to Cub Scout)
STS-45, STS-63, STS-84, Mir, STS-86, STS-103, Soyuz TMA-3, ISS
Cambridge, England

Edward M. “Mike” Fincke, c
Webelos
ISS Expedition 9, Soyuz TMA-4
Emsworth, Pennsylvania

William F. Fisher, M.D., f
Star Scout
STS-51I
Webster, Texas

Kevin A. Ford, c
Webelos
Montpelier, Indiana

Michael J. Foreman,  c
First Class Scout
STS-123
Wadsworth, Ohio

Patrick G. Forrester, c
Eagle Scout
STS-105, STS-117, STS-128
Springfield, Virginia

Michael E. Fossum, c
Eagle Scout
STS-121, STS-124
McAllen, Texas

Theodore C. Freeman,  d
First Class Scout
Haverford, Pennsylvania

C. Gordon Fullerton, f
Eagle Scout
STS-3, STS-3, STS-51F
Portland, Oregon

Ronald J. Garan Jr., c
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-124
Yonkers, New York

Dale A. Gardner, f
First Class Scout
STS-8, STS-51A
Clinton, Iowa

Guy S. Gardner, f
Life Scout
STS-27, STS-35
Alexandria, Virginia

Owen K. Garriott, Ph.D., f
Star Scout
Skylab, Spacelab
Enid, Oklahoma

Michael L. Gernhardt, Ph.D., c
Cub Scout
STS-69, STS-83, STS-104
Mansfield, Ohio

Robert L. Gibson, f
Star Scout
STS 41-B, STS 61-C, STS-27, STS-47, STS-71
Lakewood, California

Edward G. Gibson, Ph.D., f
First Class Scout
Skylab 4
Buffalo, New York

Edward G. Givens Jr., d
Life Scout
Quanah, Texas

Richard F. Gordon Jr., f
Star Scout
Gemini XI, Apollo 12
Seattle, Washington

Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, c
Webelos
STS-91, STS-99, STS-108, STS-123
Miami, Florida

Frederick D. Gregory, f
Life Scout
STS-51B, STS-33, STS-44
Washington, D.C.

William G. Gregory, f
Eagle Scout
STS-67
Lockport, New York

S. David Griggs, d
Eagle Scout
STS-51D
Portland, Oregon

Virgil I. Grissom, d
Star Scout
Liberty Bell 7, first
manned Gemini flight
Mitchell, Indiana

Chris Austin Hadfield, c
Cub Scout
STS-74, STS-100, ISS
Sarnia Ontario, Canada

Fred W. Haise Jr., f
Star Scout
Apollo 13
Biloxi, Mississippi

L. Blaine Hammond Jr., f
First Class Scout
STS-39, STS-64
St. Louis, Missouri

Bernard A. Harris Jr., M.D., f
Rank Unknown
STS-55, STS-63
San Antonio, Texas

Steven A. Hawley, Ph.D., f
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-41D, STS-61C, STS-31, STS-82, STS-93
Salina, Kansas

S. Karl G. Henize, Ph.D., d
First Class Scout
STS-51F
Cincinnati, Ohio

Terence T. “Tom” Henricks, f
Cub Scout
STS-44, STS-55, STS-70, STS-78
Woodville, Ohio

John Bennett Herrington, f
Second Class Scout
STS-113
Plano, Texas

Charles O. Hobaugh, c
Cub Scout
STS-104, STS-118
North Ridgeville, Ohio

Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Ph.D., f
Eagle Scout
STS 51-D, STS-35, STS-46, STS-61, STS-75
Scarsdale, New York

Rick Douglas Husband, d
Second Class Scout
STS-96, STS-107(Columbia)
Amarillo, Texas

Gregory H. Johnson, c
Eagle Scout
STS-123
Fairborn, Ohio

Thomas D. Jones, Ph.D., f
Eagle Scout
STS-59, STS-68, STS-80, STS-98
Essex, Maryland

James M. Kelly, c
Webelos
STS-102, STS-114
Burlington, Ohio

Mark F. Kelly, c
Cub Scout
STS-108, STS-121, STS-124
West Orange, New Jersey

Scott J. Kelly, c
Cub Scout
STS-103, STS-118
West Orange, New Jersey

Timothy L. Kopra, c
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-127, STS-128, ISS
Austin, Texas

Kevin R. Kregel, f
Life Scout
STS-70, STS-78, STS-87, STS-99
Amityville, New York

Mark C. Lee, f
Eagle Scout
STS-30, STS-47, STS-64, STS-82
Viroqua, Wisconsin

David C. Leestma, c
Cub Scout
STS-41G, STS-28, STS-45
Tustin, California

Don L. Lind, Ph.D., f
Eagle Scout
STS-51B
Sandy, Utah

Steven W. Lindsey, c
Eagle Scout
STS-87, STS-95, STS-104, STS-121
Temple City, California

Richard M. Linnehan, c
First Class Scout
STS-78, STS-90,
STS-109, STS-123
Pelham, New Hampshire

John A. Llewellyn, Ph.D., f

King’s Scout (equivalent to Eagle Scout)
Cardiff, Wales, U.K.

Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, c
Cub Scout
STS-73, STS-92, MS-1, STS-113, Soyuz TMA-9, ISS
Mission Viejo, California

Christopher J. “Gus” Loria, f
Webelos
League City, Texas

John M. “Mike” Lounge, f
Star Scout
STS-51I, STS-26, STS-35
Burlington, Colorado

Jack Robert Lousma, f
Tenderfoot Scout
Skylab 3, STS-3
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Stanley G. Love, Ph.D.,  c
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-122
Eugene, Oregon

James A. Lovell Jr., f
Eagle Scout
Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, Apollo 13
Cleveland, Ohio

G. David Low, d
Life Scout
STS-32, STS-43, STS-57
McLean, Virginia

Thomas H. Marshburn, M.D., c
Star Scout
Atlanta, Georgia

Michael J. Massimino, Ph.D, c
Webelos
STS-109, STS-125
Franklin Square, New York

Thomas K. Mattingly II, f
Life Scout
Apollo 16, STS-4, STS-51C
Miami, Florida

William S. McArthur Jr., c
Life Scout
STS-58, STS-76, STS-74, STS-92, Soyuz TMA, ISS
Wakulla, North Carolina

Jon A. McBride, f
Cub Scout
STS 41-G
Beckley, West Virginia

William C. McCool, d
Eagle Scout
STS-107 (Columbia)
Lubbock, Texas

Michael J. McCulley, f
Eagle Scout
STS-34
Livingston, Tennessee

James A. Jr McDivitt, f
Tenderfoot Scout
Gemini 4, Apollo 9
Chicago, Illinois

Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D., d
Star Scout
STS 41-B, STS 51-L(Challenger)
Lake City, South Carolina

Carl J. Meade, f
Cub Scout
STS-38, STS-50, STS-64
Chanute AFB, Illinois

F. Curtis Michel, f
Tenderfoot Scout
Sacramento, California

Edgar D. Mitchell, f
Life Scout
Apollo 14, lunar surface
Hereford, Texas

Lee M. E. Morin, M.D., Ph.D, c
Rank Unknown
STS-110
Hudson, Ohio

Richard M. Mullane, f
Second Class Scout
STS-41D, STS-27, STS-36
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Story Musgrave, M.D., f
Cub Scout
STS-6, STS-51F/Spacelab 2, STS-33, STS-44, STS-61, STS-80
Lexington, Kentucky

George D. “Pinky” Nelson, Ph.D., f
First Class Scout
STS-41C, STS-61C,
STS-26
Charles City, Iowa

Soichi Noguchi, c
Star Scout
STS-114
Yokohama, Japan

Carlos I. Noriega, c
Webelos
STS-84, STS-97
Santa Clara, California

Bryan D. O’Connor, c
Explorer
STS-61B, STS-40
Twentynine Palms, California

William A. Oefelein, f
First Class Scout
STS-116
Anchorage, Alaska

Brian T. O’Leary, f
Eagle Scout
Boston, Massachussets

John D. Olivas, Ph.D., P.E., c
Webelos
STS-117, STS-128
El Paso, Texas

Ellison S. Onizuka, d
Eagle Scout
STS-51C, STS-51L
(Challenger)
Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii

Stephen S. Oswald, f
Eagle Scout
STS-42, STS-56, STS-67
Bellingham, Washington

Robert F. Overmyer, d
First Class Scout
STS-5, STS-51B
Westlake, Ohio

Scott E. Parazynski, M.D., f
Eagle Scout
STS-66, STS-86, STS-95, STS-100, STS-120
Little Rock, Arkansas

Robert A. R. Parker, Ph.D., f
Second Class Scout
STS-9/Spacelab 1, STS-35
Shrewsbury, Massachussets

Donald R. Pettit, Ph.D., c
Eagle Scout
ISS, STS-113, STS-126
Silverton, Oregon

John L. Phillips, Ph.D., c
Cub Scout
STS-100, ISS, STS-114, STS-119
Scottsdale, Arizona

William R. Pogue, f
Second Class Scout
Skylab 4
Okemah, Oklahoma

Alan G. Poindexer, c
Life Scout
STS-122, STS-122
Rockville, Maryland

Mark Lewis Polansky, c
Rank Unknown
STS-98, STS-116, STS-127
Paterson, New York

William F. Readdy, f
Cub Scout
STS-42, STS-51, STS-79
McLean, Virginia

Kenneth S. Reightler Jr., f
Eagle Scout
STS-48, STS-60
Virginia Beach, Virginia

James F. Reilly II, Ph.D., f
First Class Scout
STS-89, STS-104, STS-117
Mesquite, Texas

Paul William Richards, c
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-102
Dunmore, Pennsylvania

Stephen K. Robinson, Ph.D., c
Life Scout
STS-85, STS-95, STS-114
Moraga, California

Kent V. Rominger, f
Cub Scout
STS-73, STS-80, STS-85, STS-96, STS-100
Del Norte, Colorado

Walter M. Schirra, d
First Class Scout
Sigma 7 Mercury, Gemini 6, Apollo VII
Hackensack, New York

Harrison M. Schmitt, Ph.D., f
Tenderfoot Scout
Apollo 17, lunar surface
Silver City, New Mexico

Russell L. Schweickart, f
First Class Scout
Apollo 9, lunar surface
Neptune, New Jersey

David R. Scott, f
Life Scout
Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15, lunar surface
Washington, D.C.

Winston E. Scott, f
First Class Scout
STS-72, STS-87
Coral Gables, Florida

Richard A. Searfoss, f
Eagle Scout
STS-58, STS-76
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Elliot M. See Jr., d
Eagle Scout
Dallas, Texas

Piers J. Sellers, Ph.D., c
Wolf Scout (equivalent to Cub Scout)
STS-112, STS-121
Cranbrook, Kent, U.K.

Alan B. Shepard Jr., d
First Class Scout
Freedom 7, Apollo 14, lunar surface
East Derry, New Jersey

William M. Shepherd, f
Cub Scout
STS-27, STS-41, STS-52, Expedition 1, ISS
Babylon, New York

Loren J. Shriver, f
Second Class Scout
STS-51C, STS-31, STS-46
Paton, Iowa

Steven L. Smith, c
Tenderfoot Scout
STS-68, STS-82, STS-103, STS-110
San Jose, California

Sherwood C. “Woody” Spring, f
Life Scout
STS-61B
Harmony, Rhode Island

Robert C. Springer, f
Life Scout
STS-29, STS-38
Ashland, Ohio

Thomas P. Stafford, f Star Scout
Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Weatherford, Oklahoma

John L. Swigert Jr., d
Second Class Scout
Apollo 7, Apollo 13
Denver, Colorado

Joseph R. “Joe” Tanner, f
Eagle Scout
STS-66, STS-82, STS-97, STS-115
Danville, Illinois

Andrew S. W. Thomas, Ph.D., c
Cub Scout
STS-77, STS-89, ISS, STS-91, STS-102, STS-114

William E. Thornton, M.D., f
Second Class Scout
STS-8, STS-51B/Spacelab
3 Faison, North Carolina

Pierre J. Thuot, f
Cub Scout
STS-36, STS-49, STS-62
Fairfax, Virginia

Richard H. Truly, f
Eagle Scout
STS-2, STS-8
Fayette, Mississippi

James D. A. “Ox” van Hoften, f
Life Scout
STS-41C, STS-51I
Burlingame, California

Charles L. Veach, d
First Class Scout
STS-39, STS-52
Honolulu, Hawaii

James S. Voss, f
Rank Unknown
STS-44, STS-53, STS-69, STS-101, STS-102, ISS, STS-105
Opelika, Alaska

David M. Walker, d
Eagle Scout
STS-51A, STS-30, STS-53, STS-69
Columbus, Georgia

Edward H. White II, d
Second Class Scout
Gemini 4
San Antonio, Texas

Donald E. Williams, f
Explorer
STS-51D, STS-34
Otterbein, Indiana

Jeffrey N. Williams, c
Star Scout
STS-101, Soyuz TMA 8, ISS
Winter, Wisconsin

Clifton C. Williams Jr., d
Life Scout
Mobile, Alaska

Dafydd Rhys “Dave” Williams, M.D., c
Cub Scout
STS-90, STS-118
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

David A. Wolf, BSEE, M.D., c
Cub Scout
STS-112, STS-86, MIR, STS-89, STS-58
Indianapolis, Indiana

Neil W. Woodward III, f
Second Class Scout
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Alfred Merrill Worden, f
First Class Scout
Apollo 15
Jackson, Michigan

John W. Young, f
Second Class Scout
Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, lunar surface, STS-1, STS-9
Orlando, Florida

 




 

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