Proud Products of Texas Public Schools

Ken Cockrell

Graduate of Rockdale High School
Rockdale, Texas

A veteran of four space flights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,215 hours in space. He served as a mission specialist on the 1993 Discovery mission, was the pilot of the Endeavour in a 1995 mission, and was the mission commander on the 1996 Columbia mission and the 2001 Atlantis flight, which continued the task of building the International Space Station.

Among Cockrell’s numerous accomplishments, he has been awarded the Armed Forces Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. He received the prestigious Alcoa Foundation Scholarship upon graduating from high school.