1974 Press Photo Huntsville, Alabama Historian Receives Russian Award

Huntsville, Alabama - A Huntsville man has received an award from Russians. Mitchell R. Sharpe, historian of the Alabama Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, was presented the Tsiolkovsky medal and certificate of the Tsiolkovsky National Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, Kaluga, U.S.S.R. It was the first time the award has been presented to an American. Above, Ed Buckbee, director of the Rocket Center, presents the award to Sharpe, right, for his biographies of the first man and woman to orbit the earth in artificial satellites. Buckbee presented the award for A. Skripkin, director of the Russian museum. In addition to being historian of the Rocket Center, Sharpe is also a consultant in rocket history to the Smithsonian Institution. The award was for "unique and outstanding contributions to the history of astronautics".

Photo is dated 1974.

Photo measures 6.25 x 8.25 inches.