Hans Michael Mark (June 17, 1929 – December 18, 2021) was a German-born American government official who served as Secretary of the Air Force and as a Deputy Administrator of NASA.

[2] He went on to receive a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley (where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity) in 1951.

After receiving his doctorate, Mark stayed on at MIT as a research associate and acting head of the Neutron Physics Group Laboratory for Nuclear Science.

He returned to UC Berkeley in 1955 and remained there until 1958 as a research physicist at the University's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore, California.

In July 1998, he began work at The Pentagon upon President Clinton's nomination of him as Director of Defense Research and Engineering.

Dr. Mark was honored for his contributions to the U.S. military space program at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Astronautical Society.

[6] It is presented annually to recognize outstanding individuals who have distinguished themselves through lifetime contributions to the welfare or betterment of humankind through the exploration, development and use of space, or the use of space technology, information, themes or resources in academic, cultural, industrial or other pursuits of broad benefit to humanity.

The award recognizes individuals for their significant role in the history of Air Force space and missile programs.