NASA Announces Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Leadership Changes
- From: baalke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:43:29 -0800 (PST)
Nov. 12, 2008
David Mould
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
david.r.mould@xxxxxxxx
RELEASE: 08-286
NASA ANNOUNCES EXPLORATION SYSTEMS MISSION DIRECTORATE LEADERSHIP
CHANGES
WASHINGTON -- NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems
Rick Gilbrech announced Wednesday that he will be leaving the agency
for a position in the private sector. NASA Administrator Michael D.
Griffin announced that Doug Cooke, who has been serving as deputy
associate administrator for the directorate since its inception in
January 2004, will become the associate administrator. The change is
effective Nov. 24.
"I'm very pleased for Rick that he has been offered such a wonderful
opportunity. At the same time, I regret the loss to NASA of such a
talented individual," said Griffin. "Rick has served as a deputy
center director, a center director, and as an associate
administrator, all crucial positions. He played a key role in helping
the shuttle return to flight. Rick will be missed."
"My career with NASA has been a tremendously rewarding experience not
only because of the exciting missions but primarily because of the
fine people with whom I was fortunate enough to work," said Gilbrech.
"Mike Griffin's leadership has set NASA on a solid course to return
humans to the moon, and I am confident this talented team will
continue the challenging and rewarding work of the Constellation
Program. I am thankful I was able to play a part in this next chapter
of human exploration and look forward to following NASA's progress as
I launch into my next career."
Gilbrech's departure concludes his 17 years at the agency in various
roles, including as director of NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay
St. Louis, Miss., and as deputy center director of NASA's Langley
Research Center in Hampton, Va.
In naming Cooke as the new associate administrator, Griffin said,
"Doug Cooke has served NASA since the earliest days of the space
shuttle program. There is no better engineer in the agency, a talent
which is indispensable at the top, and especially so in the
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, where so much of our future
lies. I am tremendously pleased to ask him to head this team."
Cooke has 35 years of experience at NASA in the space shuttle, space
station and exploration programs. He has been assigned significant
responsibilities during critical periods of each of these programs.
Prior to his appointment to NASA Headquarters, Cooke served as
manager for the Advanced Development Office at NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston. Cooke provided leadership for the planning of
human missions beyond Earth orbit; including the moon, Mars,
libration points, and asteroids.
Cooke has played a pivotal role in planning for future space
exploration since 1989. He helped to lead a NASA team that produced
the "90-Day Study" on lunar and Mars exploration. He was subsequently
assigned to the Synthesis Group, led by Lt. General Tom Stafford,
which reported to the White House in "America at the Threshold:
America's Space Exploration Initiative." Cooke was selected to be the
manager of the Exploration Programs Office, where he initiated and
led agency-wide studies for the human return to the moon and
exploration of Mars.
He served as NASA technical advisor to the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board from the time of the accident to the publishing
of the report. Following the space shuttle Challenger accident, Cooke
helped lead a civil service and contractor team in the return of the
shuttle to flight in September 1988.
Cooke served as deputy manager of the Space Station Program in 1996.
In 1993, he led the engineering and technical aspects of the redesign
of the International Space Station and subsequently served as vehicle
manager, leading and managing the hardware development and systems
engineering and integration for the project.
Cooke is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station with a
bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering.
For more information about NASA and its exploration programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
-end-
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