Del Norte's own -- Astronaut Hall of Fame will induct Rominger

DEL NORTE (article from the Valley Courier) — Del Norte native Kent Rominger is one of four astronauts who will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this May.

“I am extremely honored and humbled to be selected,” said Rominger on Friday when the announcement was released. Rominger, who happened to be in his hometown of Del Norte on Friday, said everything he was able to become he owed to his Del Norte roots.

“I am very proud of my roots,” he said. “Growing up as a kid I thought that I probably wasn’t offered as much as kids in the city but when I left I found it was the opposite.”

He said he owed all of the accomplishments he was able to attain, such as going into space and serving as Chief of the Astronaut Office, to the foundation he received growing up in Del Norte and the San Luis Valley.

The son of the late Vern and Caroline Rominger, Kent was born and raised in Del Norte and received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Rominger (Captain, USN, Ret.) was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1992. A veteran of five space flights, he has logged more than 1,600 hours in space.

During his time at NASA, Rominger served in the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch, as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, and as Chief of the Astronaut Office. He retired from NASA in 2006 to accept a position with ATK Launch Systems, an aerospace company in Utah.

He currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Rominger will be inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame® during a public ceremony held at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s in Florida on Saturday, May 30.

Valley Courier article: http://www.alamosanews.com/v2_news_articles.php…

Rio Grande County Museum is fortunate to have a collection of memorabilia from Mr. Rominger. Make sure to stop by.