science

NASA Exceptional Service Medal

NASA Exceptional Service Medal is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NASA Exceptional Service Medal rather than just read about it. In short: The NASA Exceptional Service Medal is an award granted to U.S. government employees for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly demonstrates substantial improvement in engineering, aeronautics, space flight, administration, support, or space-related endeavors which contribute to NASA programs. The medal was inherited by NASA from its predecessor organiza…

Key takeaways

NASA Exceptional Service Medal belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NASA Exceptional Service Medal to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NASA Exceptional Service Medal from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The NASA Exceptional Service Medal is an award granted to U.S. government employees for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly demonstrates substantial improvement in engineering, aeronautics, space flight, administration, support, or space-related endeavors which contribute to NASA programs. The medal was inherited by NASA from its predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) and featured the NACA emblem. The original NASA version featured the NASA seal.

Notable recipients Clayton Anderson (2008,2011) Buzz Aldrin (1969) Robert O. Aller (twice) Aseel Anabtawi (2007) Neil Armstrong (1966) Brandon T. Bailey (2019) Charles Bolden (thrice) Frank Borman 1965 John R. Casani (1965) Lin Chambers (2009) Kevin Chilton Eileen Collins (1998) Michael Collins (1966) Lana Couch (1986) Nagin Cox William H. Dana Jean Dickey (1998) John H. Disher (twice, last in 1980) Einar Enevoldson (1974 and 1980) Christer Fuglesang (2010) Fitzhugh L. Fulton (1977 and 1983) Alfred Gessow (1974) Isaac T. Gillam (1981 and 1982) Gus Grissom John M. Grunsfeld (1997, 1998, and 2000) Umberto Guidoni (2002) Joseph Gutheinz (2000) Chris Hadfield (2002) Karl Heimburg (1969) Joan E. Higginbotham David M. Jones Mark Kelly Don Leslie Lind (1974) James A. Lovell (with star) Paul D. Lowman John A. Manke William S. McArthur Pamela Matson Saverio "Sonny" Morea (twice) James B. Odom (1973) Robert J. Parks (1967) Julie Payette (2010) Kevin L. Petersen (1987) Arthur Rudolph Tecwyn Roberts (1969) Walter M. Schirra (1964 and 1968) David Scott (1966) Sigurd A. Sjoberg (1969) Deke Slayton Andrew J. Stofan (1975) Epaminondas Stassinopoulos (1992) Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper Sheila Ann Thibeault (2000) Richard H. Truly (two awards) Peggy Whitson (1993, 2003, 2006, and 2008) David Williamson Jr. (three awards) John W. Young (1965 and 1966)

See also Awards and decorations of the United States government NASA Distinguished Service Medal

References

External links NASA awards National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards (1969-1978)

Illustrations

NASA Exceptional Service Medal illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NASA Exceptional Service Medal

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NASA Exceptional Service Medal claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NASA Exceptional Service Medal before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NASA Exceptional Service Medal ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NASA Exceptional Service Medal

In research: NASA Exceptional Service Medal appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NASA Exceptional Service Medal in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NASA Exceptional Service Medal is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Awards and decorations of NASA, Order, decoration, and medal stubs, Space program of the United States stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NASA Exceptional Service Medal outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NASA Exceptional Service Medal means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NASA Exceptional Service Medal out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NASA Exceptional Service Medal in simple terms?

Why does NASA Exceptional Service Medal matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NASA Exceptional Service Medal?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NASA Exceptional Service Medal.