NASA Honors Craig Covault, George Diller With Spot on ‘Chroniclers Wall’ at Kennedy Space Center Press Site

recognizes retirees of communications business who spread news of American space exploration

(NASA) – NASA recently honored a pair of veteran space chroniclers for their contributions to delivering U.S. space exploration news. Craig Covault and George Diller are the newest additions to the facility’s “Chroniclers wall,” recognized during a ceremony held at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site in Florida.

“George dedicated most of his professional career to public affairs’ mandated mission to keep our citizens cognizant of NASA’s goals, rationales, successes and failures, all in a timely and accurate manner,” said Hortense Diggs, deputy director of Kennedy Space Center’s Office of Communication and Public Engagement.

“As a member of the free press, Craig reported with objectivity and diligence about how well we did as stewards of the U.S. space program and the taxpayers’ dollars.”

Earlier in the week, brass strips engraved with each awardee’s name and affiliation were added to the wall and covered. Those strips were unveiled during a special gathering of the honorees’ friends and family, media, and current and former NASA officials on Friday. The two men were selected by a committee of their peers to be the 2018 Chroniclers on March 21.

“Chroniclers” recognizes retirees of the news and communications business who helped spread news of American space exploration from Kennedy for 10 years or more. Covault and Diller each far exceeded that amount.

Considered for NASA’s journalist in space initiative during the Space Shuttle Program, Covault covered approximately 100 space shuttle launches and missions. The former writer and reporter with Aviation Week & Space Technology is credited with 2,000 news and feature stories on space and aeronautics during his 48-year career.

“I certainly want to, from the bottom of my heart, thank NASA, thank public affairs, and my journalism colleagues, for providing me this recognition,” Covault said. “And I certainly want to add my congratulations and pleasure at having George Diller share this award with me. We have been friends for many, many years.”

Diller, known by many as “The Voice of Kennedy Launch Control,” retired in 2017 after a 37-year career in NASA Public Affairs. He provided commentary for numerous critical missions, including the space shuttle launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, and all five of its servicing missions. He called his launch commentary of Atlantis STS-135, which was the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, “something that I’ll never quite forget.”

“I can’t really think of anything that I would have done differently; that I could have enjoyed more,” Diller said. “I pretty much got to do with my career just about everything I wanted to do. And a lot of people never have that satisfaction.”

Covault and Diller are the 75th and 76th names to be added to the “Chroniclers wall,” which includes Walter Cronkite of CBS News, ABC News’ Jules Bergman and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Noble Wilford of the New York Times.

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