NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

On Jan. 20, NASA presented an Ambassador of Exploration Award to former astronaut Vance Brand in honor of his involvement in the Apollo space.

Image left: Standing before a display housing his Ambassador of Exploration Award, former astronaut Vance Brand prepares to speak at a reception in his honor at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center in his hometown of Longmount, Colo.

NASA is presenting the Ambassador of Exploration Award to the 38 astronauts who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs.

The award is a small sample of lunar material encased in Lucite and mounted for public display. The material is part of the 842 pounds of samples brought back to Earth during the six Apollo lunar expeditions from 1969 to 1972.

In 1975, Brand made history as the command module pilot with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. This joint American and Russian mission was the first international manned space flight. Brand was also mission commander for three space shuttle flights from 1982 to 1990.

Brand’s award will be displayed at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center in his hometown of Longmont, Colo.