Twins Zane (foreground) and Paxton Gunn gaze at the Ambassador of Exploration Award, a sample of lunar rock encased in Lucite, presented by NASA to veteran journalist Walter Cronkite. In a ceremony on Feb. 28, Cronkite presented the award to University of Texas president William Powers, who accepted on behalf of the Center for American History, the archival home of the Walter Cronkite Papers.
The award is displayed in the Center’s exhibit gallery in Austin, Texas. The material is part of the 842 pounds of samples brought back to Earth during the six Apollo lunar expeditions from 1969 to 1972. Cronkite was the only Ambassador of Exploration recipient who was not an astronaut or NASA employee.+ NASA Honors Veteran Journalist Walter CronkiteImage Credit: S. Haagensen, Office of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin