NASA announced Sept. 30, that John C. Stennis Space Center Director Bob Cabana is leaving the rocket engine testing facility in mid-October to become director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Cabana will succeed current Kennedy Director William Parsons, who is leaving NASA to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
Stennis Deputy Director Gene Goldman will become acting director at Stennis. Goldman, who began his NASA career in 1990, joined Stennis in October 2006. Prior to arriving at Stennis, he was manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project at NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Cabana, a former astronaut, is a native of Minnesota. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cabana is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has logged more than 7,000 hours in 36 different aircraft.
After his selection as an astronaut candidate in June of 1985, Cabana completed his training in 1986. He flew four space shuttle missions, serving as the pilot of Discovery missions STS-41 in October 1990 and STS-53 in December 1992, commander of Columbia on STS-65 in July 1994, and commander of Endeavour on STS-88 – the first International Space Station assembly mission – in December 1998.
Before being named the director at Stennis in October 2007, Cabana served as deputy director of Johnson Space Center in Houston. In addition, Cabana has worked as chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office; manager of international operations of the International Space Station Program; director of NASA’s Human Space Flight Program in Russia; deputy director of the International Space Station Program; and director of Flight Crew Operations.
“Bob Cabana is a longtime colleague, and another whose Marine training has redounded to NASA’s benefit,” NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said. “Bob has seen it all and done it all in human spaceflight, and done it with an open, collaborative style. There is just no better teammate. He will be a terrific successor to Bill Parsons as director of KSC.”
Parsons, who joined NASA in 1990, previously served as director of Stennis. His other NASA assignments have included launch site support manager, manager of the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, chief of operations of the Propulsion Test Directorate, Space Shuttle Program manager and deputy director of Johnson Space Center.
“It has been my distinct privilege to have gotten to know and work with Bill Parsons since joining NASA as the administrator,” Griffin said. “In managing both centers and programs for NASA, Bill has demonstrated unswerving dedication to the mission and unshakable loyalty to his teammates. I have learned to expect that from Marines, and Bill’s early training is always in evidence. While wishing him well in his new endeavors, I will miss him greatly.”
For information about Stennis Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/.
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text-only version of this release
Paul Foerman, NASA Public Affairs
NASA Public Affairs Office
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000
(228) 688-1880
Paul.Foerman-1@nasa.gov