[ad_1]
Derek Richardson
November 14th, 2023
NASA Affiliate Administrator and former astronaut Bob Cabana is retiring efficient Dec. 31 after an illustrious 38-year profession with the area company.
Cabana is the third-highest rating civil servant on the company, behind solely NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. He has been a key determine in shaping NASA’s endeavors and accomplishments.
“Bob is among the most interesting leaders I’ve ever recognized. I’ve been lucky to know him for many years, and I couldn’t be prouder to have had such an awesome colleague and good friend all through the years,” Administrator Nelson stated in a Nov. 13 company information launch saying Cabana’s retirement. “Bob is an instance of the American grit, ardour, and excellence which can be woven into the material of our nation. Pam and I are eternally grateful for the years of service and optimistic affect he has had on the USA, NASA, and area exploration and want him all the most effective on his upcoming retirement.”
Cabana’s journey with NASA started in June 1985 when he was chosen as an astronaut, finishing his coaching in 1986. Over the course of his profession, he flew 4 shuttle missions, twice serving as commander. Notable missions embody being the pilot aboard area shuttle Discovery’s STS-41 mission in October 1990, which deployed the Ulysses photo voltaic probe, and Discovery’s STS-53 mission in December 1992, which was a Division of Protection mission that carried a labeled major payload.
In July 1994, he served as commander of STS-65 aboard area shuttle Columbia, which launched the second Worldwide Microgravity Laboratory mission.
Lastly, he was commander of Endeavour’s STS-88 mission in December 1998, which was the primary meeting flight for the nascent Worldwide Area Station. That mission took the primary U.S. module, the Unity node, to area to attach with the Zarya module, which was the primary Russian part orbited for the challenge.
The STS-88 mission marked the primary of 37 area shuttle flights to the area station via 2011 to assemble, preserve and resupply the orbiting laboratory. The orbiters have been retired in 2011, however the ISS program continued unimpeded and is at the moment serviced by a fleet of worldwide and business spacecraft. The outpost has additionally remained repeatedly staffed since November 2000 by astronauts and cosmonauts from around the globe and is anticipated to stay in low Earth orbit via at the least 2030.
After spending 38 days in area over his 4 area missions, Cabana held varied management roles inside NASA. He served because the deputy director of Johnson Area Middle in Houston and later because the director of Stennis Area Middle in Mississippi in October 2007. That was adopted a yr later by his appointment because the director of Kennedy Area Middle in 2008.
Throughout his greater than a decade-long tenure at KSC, Cabana oversaw the transition of the power right into a multi-user spaceport, supporting a variety of area exploration actions, together with the primary crewed flight to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in 2020, the primary human spaceflight to orbit from U.S. soil because the retirement of the area shuttles.
Cabana’s outstanding profession reached its pinnacle when he was appointed because the affiliate administrator of NASA in Might 2021. On this position, he led NASA’s 10 middle administrators and the mission directorate affiliate directors at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., contributing considerably to the company’s strategic course in its Moon to Mars plans.
Earlier than becoming a member of NASA, Cabana had a distinguished navy profession, graduating from the Naval Academy in 1971 with a bachelor’s diploma in arithmetic. He was a naval aviator and graduated with distinction from the Naval Take a look at Pilot College in 1981, logging over 7,000 hours in additional than 50 totally different plane. Cabana retired as a colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps in September 2000.
In recognition of his contributions to area exploration, Cabana was inducted into the Astronaut Corridor of Fame in 2008.
“Main the distinctive folks at NASA who discover the universe for the good thing about humanity has been an awesome honor,” Cabana stated. “From flying in area to guiding groups throughout the company in attaining NASA’s mission, I’m grateful for an unimaginable profession at NASA and within the area business, and grateful for all of the enriching friendships made all through this journey. I’ve been blessed to be a part of such a tremendous crew these final 38 years and serving as affiliate administrator alongside Invoice and Pam has been a spotlight.”
The STS-88 mission post-flight presentation. Video courtesy of NASA, AI upscale courtesy of Retro Area HD
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson has a level in mass media, with an emphasis in up to date journalism, from Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. Whereas at Washburn, he was the managing editor of the scholar run newspaper, the Washburn Evaluation. He additionally has a web site about human spaceflight known as Orbital Velocity. Yow will discover him on twitter @TheSpaceWriter.
[ad_2]
Source link