Kathryn Sullivan, a three-time Guinness World Records winner and the first American woman to walk in space, has been selected by the Space Foundation to receive the Gen. James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, the nonprofit’s highest honor.
A geologist, oceanographer, and former NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy officer, Sullivan will receive the award April 7 at the opening ceremonies of Space Foundation’s 40th annual Space Symposium at The Broadmoor. The award is named for Hill, a longtime foundation chairman who also headed the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.
“Throughout my career, I have been inspired by the limitless potential of space exploration to drive innovation and deepen our understanding of the universe,” Sullivan said in a Tuesday news release from the Colorado Springs-based foundation. “This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the incredible teams and mentors who have inspired and supported me throughout my journey.”
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In 1978, Sullivan was among the first six women to join NASA’s astronaut corps and is the first American woman to walk in space. Forty-two years later, she completed a submersible dive to the Challenger Deep in June 2020, which earned her three Guinness World Records: the most vertical person in the world, the first person to both fly in space and reach Earth’s deepest point, and the first woman to dive to the Challenger Deep.
Sullivan left NASA in 1993, after which she held senior executive and advisory positions including presidential appointments as undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA), and member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
She serves on the boards of the International Paper, Accenture Federal Services, Terra Alpha Investments and the National Audubon Society, the release said. Sullivan is a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and is an ambassador-at-large for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.
Sullivan has been awarded numerous accolades, including her induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Hall of Fame, among others.
She is the 24th person to win the award.
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