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Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era (2011)

Chapter: Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
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C

Committee and Staff Biographical Information

FREDERICK D. GREGORY, Co-Chair, is the managing director of aerospace and defense strategies at Lohfeld Consulting Group, Inc. He retired as the deputy administrator of NASA in 2005. Mr. Gregory’s previous management positions at NASA include acting administrator, associate administrator for space flight, and associate administrator for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. He was selected to be an astronaut in 1978 and has logged 455 hours in space, including service piloting the space shuttle Challenger, on which he led a 7-day mission in 1985. He graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School and served as an engineering test pilot for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and for NASA. When he retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1993, he had logged approximately 7,000 hours of flying time in more than 50 types of aircraft. He has authored or co-authored several papers in the areas of aircraft handling qualities and cockpit design. He is a member or past member of numerous societies, including the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the American Helicopter Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Gregory has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal and two Distinguished Flying Crosses and was designated an Ira Eaker Fellow by the Air Force Association. He holds a B.S. degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. degree in information systems from George Washington University.

JOSEPH H. ROTHENBERG, Co-Chair, is currently an independent consultant and senior vice president for international development at SSC (formerly Swedish Space Corporation). Previously he had been a senior adviser and president for the Universal Space Network, and served on its board of directors. He spent the last 4 years of his career at NASA Headquarters as associate administrator of space flight; in that position he was responsible for establishing policies and direction for the space shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) programs, as well as for space communications and expendable launch services. Prior to that, he served as director of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he was responsible for space systems development and operations and for execution of the scientific research program for NASA Earth-orbiting science missions. He is widely recognized for leading the development and successful completion of the first servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which corrected the telescope’s flawed optics. Mr. Rothenberg holds an M.S. in engineering management from Long Island University. He has previously served on the NRC’s Committee on Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Committee on Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration, the Beyond Einstein Program Assessment Committee, and the Steering Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×

MICHAEL J. CASSUTT is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. Mr. Cassutt is the co-author of two astronaut biographies—Deke! and We Have Capture: Tom Stafford and the Space Race—which address early issues in the formation of NASA’s Astronaut Office. He is an experienced writer of nonfiction, not only contributing articles to such magazines as Space Illustrated, Space World, and Air & Space, but also to books such as Magill’s Survey of Science: Space Exploration Series. He is also the author of the biographical encyclopedia Who’s Who in Space; this work, for which Mr. Cassutt conducted dozens of interviews over a period of 10 years, contains biographies and photos of 700 astronauts and cosmonauts from around the world. Mr. Cassutt has appeared on camera for the History Channel and on BBC documentaries about disasters in space, as well as on specials about astronauts and test pilots. As an author, he has published more than three dozen short stories, a science fiction novel, and a fantasy novel and has co-edited an anthology. As a television script writer and producer, he has been on the staff of a dozen different primetime network and cable series. He received a B.A. in television and radio journalism from the University of Arizona.

RICHARD O. COVEY is an independent consultant. He retired in 2010 as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of United Space Alliance, LLC, where he was ultimately responsible for the direction, development, and operations of the company. United Space Alliance is NASA’s prime contractor for space shuttle and ISS operations, including launch and recovery, mission planning and support, and astronaut training. Early in his career, Mr. Covey served in the USAF as a test force director, test pilot, and operational fighter pilot. As an operational fighter pilot, he flew 339 combat missions during two tours in Southeast Asia. Mr. Covey later joined NASA and became an astronaut, serving as pilot of Space Transportation System (STS) mission 51-I and STS-26, and as commander of STS-38 and STS-61. Mr. Covey also served as co-chair of the Return-to-Flight Task Group, for which he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. His numerous honors also include the Department of Defense (DOD) Distinguished Service Medal, the DOD Superior Service Medal, 5 Air Force Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the AIAA Haley Space Flight Award for 1988, and the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award for 1988. He received a B.S. in engineering sciences with a major in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University.

DUANE W. DEAL is currently senior vice president for National Security Programs at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc. (SGT). Mr. Deal is a retired brigadier general in the USAF. Prior to joining SGT, he was the director of National Security Space Programs for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Preceding his service at Johns Hopkins, Mr. Deal was commander of the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. His responsibilities in that role included executing the United States Northern Command homeland defense mission. Mr. Deal also commanded the Air Force’s geographically largest wing, responsible for the nation’s space surveillance and space control missions. He has extensive experience in USAF space operations, maintenance, and logistics, and also in flight operations where he piloted seven Air Force aircraft, including the SR-71. He has served on national commissions, including the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and the Defense Science Board Task Force. Mr. Deal received his B.S. in physics and an M.S. in counseling and psychology from Mississippi State University and an M.S. in systems management from the University of Southern California.

BONNIE J. DUNBAR is currently president and chief executive officer of Dunbar International, LLC. She is the former president and CEO of the Seattle Museum of Flight. Dr. Dunbar began her extensive career with NASA when she accepted a position as a payload officer/flight controller at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). She became a NASA astronaut and also served as deputy associate administrator for the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences at NASA Headquarters. In 1994 and 1995, Dr. Dunbar lived in Star City, Russia, for 13 months to train as a backup crew member for a 3-month flight on the Russian space station Mir and was certified by the Russian Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to fly on long-duration Mir Space Station flights. In 1995 and 1996, she was detailed to the NASA JSC Mission Operations Directorate as assistant director; there she was responsible for chairing the International Space Station Training Readiness Reviews and facilitating Russian-U.S. operations and training strategies. Dr. Dunbar has also served as assistant director at the NASA JSC with a focus on university

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×

research, as deputy associate director for biological sciences and applications, and as associate director, technology integration and risk management. Dr. Dunbar retired from NASA in 2005. She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in ceramic engineering from the University of Washington and her Ph.D. in mechanical and biomedical engineering from the University of Houston. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

WILLIAM W. HOOVER has held executive positions in national aviation, defense, and energy activities and in recent years has been a consultant in these areas. He is the former executive vice president of the Air Transport Association of America, representing the interests of the major U.S. airlines industry, particularly related to technical, safety, and security issues. Prior to holding this position, he served as the assistant secretary, defense programs, U.S. Department of Energy, where he was responsible for all aspects of the U.S. nuclear weapons development program. He is also a major general, U.S. Air Force (retired), and had responsible positions in the Air Force Space Program, within NATO, at the Pentagon with the Secretary of the Air Force, and in Vietnam, where he commanded a combat air wing and flew 97 missions as a fighter pilot. He has served as chair of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council. He has been the chair or a member on behalf of the Academy on several studies for NASA, DOD, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that resulted in significant policy or technology implementations. He has served on corporate boards and as a member of the NASA Advisory Council. He currently is on the board of the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Virginia. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.S. in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College and a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies.

THOMAS D. JONES is senior research scientist with the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and a planetary science consultant to NASA and the aerospace community. He is a writer and speaker, and he serves on the board of directors of the Association of Space Explorers. As a NASA astronaut and mission specialist, Dr. Jones logged more than 52 days in space on four shuttle missions. He helped direct science operations on STS-59 (Space Radar Laboratory 1), was payload commander for STS-68 (Space Radar Laboratory 2), and helped deliver the Destiny laboratory to the ISS on STS-98. His previous positions include senior scientist for the Science Applications International Corporation, program management engineer at the Central Intelligence Agency, and B-52 pilot and aircraft commander for the USAF. He has published six books and is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the American Geophysical Union. Dr. Jones received a B.S. in basic sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a planetary science Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

FRANKLIN D. MARTIN is the president of Martin Consulting, Inc., which provides services in aerospace, including his participation on review boards for NASA flight projects. Dr. Martin has also been working with 4-D Systems since 2002. Sponsored by NASA’s Office of the Chief Engineer’s Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership, the major focus of 4-D Systems is performance enhancement for NASA teams. His career with NASA and Lockheed Martin includes the following: science mission operations on Apollo 16 and Apollo 17; director, Solar Terrestrial and Astrophysics at NASA Headquarters (included the Sounding Rocket and Balloon Programs); Goddard Space Flight Center director for Space and Earth Science; NASA deputy associate administrator, Space Station; NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration; and director, Space Systems and Engineering, Civil Space for Lockheed Martin, with responsibility for the HST servicing missions, Space Infrared Telescope Facility (Spitzer), Lunar Prospector, and Gravity Probe-B. Dr. Martin resigned from NASA in 1990 and retired from Lockheed Martin in 2001. He received a B.A. with majors in physics and in mathematics from Pfeiffer University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Tennessee.

HENRY McDONALD is the Distinguished Professor and Chair of Computational Engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dr. McDonald worked in the aerospace industry of the United Kingdom on a number of civil and military aircraft before immigrating to the United States. In the United States, he was a staff member at United Technologies Research Center, where he concentrated on turbomachinery, which eventually became known as computational fluid dynamics. Dr. McDonald then formed Scientific Research Associates, a small research and

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×

development company. While at Scientific Research Associates, he was asked to assist the NASA team investigating the Challenger disaster. Subsequently he became a member of the Lockheed Martin team investigating a Titan motor failure. Dr. McDonald later held a number of academic posts at Pennsylvania State University and Mississippi State University before becoming director of NASA Ames Research Laboratory, a position that he held from 1996 to 2002. Dr. McDonald is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a fellow and honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an honorary fellow of the AIAA, and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

AMY R. PRITCHETT is currently the David S. Lewis Associate Professor of Cognitive Engineering in the School of Aerospace Engineering of the Georgia Institute of Technology, holding a joint appointment in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Dr. Pritchett has led numerous research projects sponsored by industry, NASA, and the FAA. Via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, she served as director of NASA’s Aviation Safety Program; she was responsible for the planning and execution of the program, conducted at four NASA research centers, where she sponsored roughly 200 research agreements and served on several executive committees, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Aeronautic Science and Technology Subcommittee and the executive committees of the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) and the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing program. Dr. Pritchett has had more than 170 scholarly publications in conference proceedings and in scholarly journals such as Human Factors, Journal of Aircraft, and Air Traffic Control Quarterly. She received the RTCA, Inc., William H. Jackson Award and, as part of CAST, the Collier Trophy. She is a member of the FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Advisory Committee (REDAC) and chairs the Human Factors REDAC subcommittee. She is a licensed pilot of airplanes and sailplanes. Dr. Pritchett received S.B., S.M., and Sc.D. degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

RICHARD N. RICHARDS is an independent consultant. He retired from the Boeing Corporation in 2007 as the deputy program manager for the space shuttle. At Boeing he also worked as director of New Reusable Systems and as program director for Shuttle and Space Station Integration. Previously, as an astronaut for NASA, Mr. Richards piloted and was commander of STS-28, STS-41, STS-50, and STS-64; he logged almost 34 days in space. While at NASA he also served as mission director for the Space Shuttle program office and as manager for the Space Shuttle program integration. Before his service at NASA, Mr. Richards had been a test pilot and naval aviator for the U.S. Navy, retiring after 25 years of service. He flew various aircraft in active squadrons in the U.S. Navy. He has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal, among other awards. Mr. Richards received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri and an M.S. in aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida.

JAMES D. VON SUSKIL is currently the vice president of nuclear oversight at NRG Texas, representing that company’s interests as part-owner of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant. Mr. von Suskil retired from the nuclear submarine force in 1995, having commanded the attack submarine USS Augusta and then a submarine squadron, and having served as chief of staff of the Pacific Submarine Force. After his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he worked for PECO Energy and was vice president of the Limerick Generation Station when PECO merged with Commonwealth Edison to form Exelon Corporation. For the next 3 years he served as vice president of Braid-wood Generating Station before he left Exelon to become an independent consultant. Mr. von Suskil has served on various safety review boards and as a technical problem solver, including his work as special assistant for training in Naval Reactors, consultant to NASA on the Project Prometheus nuclear reactor program, and membership on the Atlantic Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board and the Nuclear Fuel Services Safety Culture Board of Advisors. After performing due-diligence services for NRG Energy in anticipation of its purchasing the South Texas Project, he became a full-time employee and currently works from the company’s Houston office. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×

Staff

DWAYNE A. DAY, Study Director, is a senior program officer for the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB). He has a Ph.D. in political science from the George Washington University. Dr. Day joined the NRC as a program officer for the Space Studies Board (SSB). Before that he had served as an investigator for the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, was on the staff of the Congressional Budget Office, and also worked for the Space Policy Institute at the George Washington University. He has held Guggenheim and Verville fellowships and was an associate editor of the German spaceflight magazine Raumfahrt Concrete, in addition to writing for such publications as Novosti Kosmonavtiki (Russia), Spaceflight, and Space Chronicle (United Kingdom). He has served as study director for several NRC reports, including Space Radiation Hazards and the Vision for Space Exploration(2006), Grading NASA’s Solar System Exploration Program: A Midterm Review (2008), and Opening New Frontiers in Space: Choices for the Next New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity (2008).

CATHERINE A. GRUBER, editor, joined the SSB as a senior program assistant in 1995. Ms. Gruber first came to the NRC in 1988 as a senior secretary for the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board and also worked as an outreach assistant for the National Science Resources Center. She was a research assistant (chemist) in the National Institute of Mental Health’s Laboratory of Cell Biology for 2 years. She has a B.A. in natural science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

LEWIS GROSWALD, a research associate, joined the SSB as the Autumn 2008 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern. Mr. Groswald is a graduate of George Washington University, where he received a master’s degree in international science and technology policy and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, with a double concentration in conflict and security and Europe and Eurasia. Following his work with the National Space Society during his senior year as an undergraduate, Mr. Groswald decided to pursue a career in space policy, with a focus on educating the public on space issues and formulating policy.

AMANDA R. THIBAULT, a research associate, joined the ASEB in 2011. Ms. Thibault is a graduate of Creighton University, where she earned her B.S. in atmospheric science in 2008. From there she went on to Texas Tech University where she studied lightning trends in tornadic and non-tornadic supercell thunderstorms and worked as a teaching and research assistant. She participated in the VORTEX 2 field project from 2009 to 2010 and graduated with an M.S. in atmospheric science from Texas Tech in August 2010. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society.

DIONNA WILLIAMS is a program associate with the SSB, having previously worked for the NRC’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education for 5 years. Ms. Williams has a long career in office administration, having worked as a supervisor in a number of capacities and fields. She attended the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and majored in psychology.

MICHAEL H. MOLONEY is the director of the SSB and the ASEB at the NRC. Since joining the NRC in 2001, Dr. Moloney has served as a study director at the National Materials Advisory Board, the Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA), the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design, and the Center for Economic, Governance, and International Studies. Before joining the SSB and ASEB in April 2010, he was associate director of the BPA and study director for the Astro2010 decadal survey for astronomy and astrophysics. In addition to his professional experience at the NRC, Dr. Moloney has more than 7 years’ experience as a foreign-service officer for the Irish government; he served in that capacity at the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C., the Mission of Ireland to the United Nations in New York, and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, Ireland. A physicist, Dr. Moloney did his graduate Ph.D. work at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. He received his undergraduate degree in experimental physics at University College Dublin, where he was awarded the Nevin Medal for Physics.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
Page 99
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
Page 100
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
Page 101
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information." National Research Council. 2011. Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13227.
×
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As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) retires the Space Shuttle and shifts involvement in International Space Station (ISS) operations, changes in the role and requirements of NASA's Astronaut Corps will take place. At the request of NASA, the National Research Council (NRC) addressed three main questions about these changes: what should be the role and size of Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD); what will be the requirements of astronaut training facilities; and is the Astronaut Corps' fleet of training aircraft a cost-effective means of preparing astronauts for NASA's spaceflight program? This report presents an assessment of several issues driven by these questions. This report does not address explicitly the future of human spaceflight.

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