Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media
Larry Bell (left) and Chet Vaughan worked for many years for NASA from the moon landings to the International Space Station.
When former astronauts from the Apollo era pass away, it tends to make the news — like it did last month when we learned of the death of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell.
But the many people who’ve lived and worked on the ground in Houston in the space program — whether it’s helping propel humans to the moon, or running the space shuttle program, or keeping the International Space Station functioning — when one of them passes away it often receives less fanfare.
But some local, longtime veterans of NASA have been working to honor the contributions of those involved in NASA’s history by holding special ceremonies for their families and loved ones.
In an interview with Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty (audio above), Larry Bell and Chet Vaughan talk about their decades of work in the space program and the ceremonies they participate in to honor the many people in Greater Houston who’ve done the same.
Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media
An signed photo of astronaut Ed White during the first-ever American spacewalk, which took place during the Gemini IV mission in 1965.