Gemini 5 Astronauts Receive Exceptional Service Medal

This photograph by Joseph J. Scherschel shows President Lyndon B. Johnson awarding CDR Charles "Pete" Conrad, astronaut, the Exceptional Service Medal in the Oval Office. Conrad was the pilot for the Gemini 5 mission (August 21-29, 1965), which broke the Soviet record for spaceflight duration. Along with other missions, Conrad would go on to command the Apollo 12 mission to the moon. In the photograph, he is accompanied by his wife and his children, who are seated at President Johnson's desk. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson is standing at the far right of the frame.