As a NASA employee, you have multiple opportunities to receive awards and recognition for your job performance, special achievement, and technical and scientific accomplishments. NASA has a very active awards program intended to give recognition and reward to employees who contribute to the efficiency, economy, or other improvement of Government operations through suggestions, inventions, superior performance, special services, and other personal efforts.

Awards Ceremonies

Awards ceremonies are held periodically to recognize employees who have made outstanding contributions to the goals of the Agency. Special awards ceremonies are also held during the year when appropriate.  Generally, relatives and friends are invited to attend all ceremonies and share in your recognition.

The recognition you receive may come in many forms --  certificates, honor awards, money, and even trips to observe Shuttle launches at the Kennedy Space Flight Center, and time-off.

Career Service Recognition is the presentation of a certificate and a service pin to all NASA civil service employees in recognition of their Federal career service.  Eligibility for career service recognition is based on total years of Federal service, including all honorable military service.  A NASA service pin is awarded upon completion of 5 years of service.  Certificates of service and NASA pins are presented for each 5-year interval thereafter.  Employees with 40 years or more of service are eligible to receive service pins, certificates, and a congratulatory letter from the Administrator.  In addition, employees with 50 years or more of service are eligible to receive a congratulatory letter from the President.

External Awards are awards programs sponsored by external organizations (other Federal agencies and professional organizations and societies).  This is just another way of recognizing NASA employees. Organizations such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Space Club, and Women in Aerospace typically request on an annual basis nominations for their specific honor award which, generally, recognizes outstanding achievement and/or professional excellence in space-related activities.

Honor Awards are NASA’s most prestigious awards given in recognition of exceptional achievement.  Recipients are presented with a medal and/or certificate.  (See NASA Honor Awards below for descriptions.)

Monetary Awards are lump-sum cash awards based on performance or a significant invention/contribution ranging from On-the-Spot Awards of nominal value to Space Act Awards worth tens of thousands of dollars.  (See Monetary Awards below for descriptions.)

Special NASA Awards Programs are awards sponsored by specific NASA organizations to recognize the contribution or achievement of individuals, groups, or organizations that supports the sponsoring organizations’ goals and objectives.  One such program is the Space Flight Awareness (SFA) Employee Motivation and Recognition Program, sponsored by the Office of Space Flight, that recognizes dozens of Government and non-Government employees each year.  Recognition is generally in the form of a trip to the Kennedy Space Flight Center to observe a Shuttle launch and to participate in a VIP tour of the Center.

Time-off Awards are given in the form of hours off from work without loss of pay or charge to leave and are used just like annual leave. The number of hours awarded is dependent upon the significance of the accomplishment and individual Center policy. Time-off may be given in conjunction with another form of award, such as a monetary award.

NASA Honor Awards

Following is a list of NASA Honor Awards in their relative order of importance.

NASA Distinguished Service Medal (Government employees only) The highest honor award that NASA confers. It may be awarded to any person in the Federal service who, by distinguished service, ability, or courage, has personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.

NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (Non-Government personnel) The highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a Government employee when the service was performed. The award is granted only to individuals whose distinguished accomplishments contributed substantially to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.

NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (Government employees only) This is awarded for notably outstanding leadership which affects technical or administrative programs of NASA. The leadership award may be given for an act of leadership, for sustained contributions based on a leader’s effectiveness for the productivity of the leader’s program, or for the leader’s demonstrated ability in developing the administrative or technical talents of other employees.

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (Government employees only) An award granted for a significant, specific accomplishment or substantial improvement in operations, efficiency, service, financial savings, science, or technology which contributes to the mission of NASA.

NASA Exceptional Service Medal (Government employees only) An award granted for significant sustained performance characterized by unusual initiative or creative ability that clearly demonstrates substantial improvements in engineering, aeronautics, space flight, administration, support, or space-related endeavors which contribute to NASA programs.

NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (Government employees and Non-Government personnel) An award given for an exceptional scientific contribution toward achieving the NASA mission.

NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal (Government employees and Non-Government personnel) An award given for exceptional engineering contributions toward achieving the NASA mission.

NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal (Government employees and Non-Government) An award given for outstanding achievement and material contribution to the goals of NASA’s Equal Employment Opportunity programs either within Government, community organizations, or groups.

NASA Exceptional Bravery Medal (Government employees and Non-Government personnel) An award for exemplary and courageous handling of an emergency by any individual who, independent of personal danger, has acted to prevent the loss of human life or Government property.

NASA Public Service Medal (Non-Government personnel) An award granted to anyone who was not a Government employee when the service was performed. The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the mission of NASA.

NASA Space Flight Medal (Flight crew members) An award given for significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astronaut, pilot, mission specialist, payload specialist, or other space flight participant in a space flight mission.

Group Achievement Award (Government employees and Non-Government personnel) A team award given to a group of Government employees or a group comprised of both Government employees and non-Government personnel for outstanding accomplishment through the coordination of many individual efforts which has contributed substantially to the NASA mission.

Public Service Group Achievement Award (Non-Government personnel) An award given for outstanding accomplishment while participating in a significant program or project that has contributed substantially to the NASA mission.

Certificate of Appreciation (Government employees and Non-Government personnel) Certificates of Appreciation are not presented at annual awards ceremonies. They are presented when appropriate by Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices or Center Directors in recognition of an outstanding accomplishment that has contributed substantially to the NASA mission. Exceptional accomplishments deserving recognition by the Administrator are reviewed and approved by the Chair of the Incentive Awards Board.

Monetary Awards

Performance Awards

On-the-Spot Award is a “Special Act or Service” award of nominal value designed to give immediate recognition for a job well done.  This award is for employees who “go the extra mile” or who perform “above and beyond the call of duty.”

Performance Award (PA) is a lump-sum cash award to recognize an employee’s sustained high level of job-related performance during the annual appraisal period.

Presidential Rank Award (Senior Executive Service (SES) employees only) is a prestigious lump sum cash award given only to a small group of career SES employees.  There are two categories of awards, Distinguished Executives and Meritorious Executives, granted for sustained accomplishment over a period of at least 3 years.

Superior Accomplishment Award (SAA) is a lump-sum cash award to recognize an individual employee’s or group of employees’ suggestion, invention, or special act or service which exceeded normal job requirements that contributes to the efficiency, economy, or other improvement of Government operations in the public interest.