Debra L. Kral
Launch Vehicle Division
Kennedy Space Center Constellation Project Office
Debra L. Kral provides operations and integration expertise to Kennedy Space Center's Constellation Project Office (LX-V) at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla.
Kral began her career with NASA in June of 1983 at the GSFC Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) in Virginia. At Wallops, she spent seven years as a project engineer and test director, leading the planning and execution of literally hundreds of scientific sounding rocket launches (including a two-month campaign in Norway). She was also the manager of Wallops Space Shuttle support. While at Wallops, she was recognized by Glamour Magazine as one of Ten Outstanding Career Women of 1988, and was interviewed by newscaster Harry Smith on "CBS This Morning."
Kral transferred to KSC in 1990. In March 2005, she moved to her current position in Kennedy Space Center's Constellation Project Office. This office supports NASA Headquarters' Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and is involved with planning, requirements and operational concepts new Ares I and Ares V Launch Vehicles and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and supporting systems.
Prior to this assignment, Kral spent five years on the management team of the External Relations Directorate (which includes NASA Public Affairs) as chief of the Guest Services and Special Events Division. In this capacity, she was responsible for all of NASA's launch guests and viewing sites, VIP and official tours, and major special events such as KSC Open House and Community Leaders Breakfast. She also served as the alternate contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR) for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex concessionaire, Delaware North Companies. Although she had a full-time staff of only seven to ten people, she was responsible for several hundred volunteers that supported her office for Space Shuttle launches and landings, ELV launches and VIP tours.
Prior to this assignment, she spent a year and a half as acting chief of the Implementation Office, in the Shuttle Processing Directorate, which is essentially a Program/Project office with responsibilities that include integrating a variety of Shuttle Processing Directorate functions, both technical and administrative. One of her primary functions was to serve as co-chair of the Transition Working Group. This group was responsible for planning, coordinating and carrying out the transition of daily Shuttle operations from NASA to the prime Shuttle contractor, United Space Alliance. In addition, she was responsible for managing the integration of Shuttle Construction of Facilities projects, Contractor Performance Metrics, Shuttle Automated Requirements System, ISO compliance, and Continuous Improvement activities.
During her time in Shuttle Processing, she also spent eight years in the thick of Shuttle operations as a NASA Test Director (NTD), leading the Shuttle launch team and conducting over 60 Shuttle launch countdowns, as well as overseeing daily Shuttle operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Worthy of note: Kral was the first woman in NASA history ever to be certified as an NTD. In other words, she was the first woman to ever lead the team that launches people into space. In 1997, she also had the opportunity to serve as the management intern to the Shuttle Processing director for seven months, gaining a great deal of insight into the priorities and workings of senior management at KSC and throughout the Shuttle program.
Kral received her bachelor's degree in physics from Taylor University in Indiana and her Master of Science in management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is originally from Chicago, but now lives in Orlando with her husband and three children where they enjoy friends, sports, music, swimming, golf, movies, and school and church activities.
February 2008
Biographies - Current Employees