Mar. 26, 1965 | LBJ Reception for NASA Astronauts

Mar. 26, 1965 - President Johnson today capped the nation’s best week in space so far by honoring the two Gemini astronauts and the director of the Ranger moon-photographing project.
At White House ceremonies, Johnson paid tribute to “these two brave, patriotic, gallant, and exceptional young Americans,” astronauts Virgil (Gus) Grissom and John Young.
They were awarded the Exceptional Service Medal of NASA for piloting the world’s first maneuverable manned spacecraft in a three-orbit flight Tuesday.
Harris Schurmeier, director of the Ranger project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement medal for his role in the highly successful Ranger program, which is now ended.

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