NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Stephan "Steve" Davis. Image Credit: NASA

Stephan "Steve" Davis was named Deputy Manager of the Ares I-X Mission Management Office in 2006. In this role, Mr. Davis supports the Mission Manager, Bob Ess, in every aspect of managing the mission. In addition, Mr. Davis has special oversight responsibilities for the design, development and integration of the test flight vehicle’s first stage, avionics, and roll control systems at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Before his current assignment supporting Ares I-X, Mr. Davis was deeply involved in the 2005 Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) at NASA Headquarters, which established the basic configurations for the Ares launch vehicles being built today. That work led directly to developing a flight test program, which eventually included the Ares I-X flight.

Prior to working on Ares, Mr. Davis supported the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) as Deputy Manager for the Project and Engineering Office starting in 2002, where he led the OSP's contract change activities, lead the Cost Credibility Team, and led key trade studies for the program.

Mr. Davis also supported the Space Launch Initiative Program 2001-2002, where he managed the Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) conceptual development in each of the three SLI Prime Contract Teams. The work included leading the Crew Transport and Return (Rescue) Vehicle (CTRV) Study which led to the agency decision to combine the ISS transport and ISS rescue requirements into a single development. This led directly to the OSP Program.

In his role as Assistant to the MSFC Microgravity Program Manager in 2001, Mr. Davis performed programmatic and technical evaluations of microgravity projects, which included complete technical reviews, cost reviews, schedule risk reviews, and summary reports.

Mr. Davis has had wide and diverse engineering experience across a variety of aerospace projects, including the Strategic Defense Initiative, Gravity Probe B Satellite Mission, scientific instruments for the Mir space station, and the International Space Station propulsion module. He is a Senior Member of AIAA and author of numerous papers on the Orbital Space Plane and Ares I-X Mission. He has spoken on behalf of the agency on a regular basis as part of NASA’s Public Speaker's Bureau.

Mr. Davis has a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Siena College in Loudonville, New York; a Master's degree in Engineering Science from University of Tennessee; and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Alabama A&M University in Normal, Ala. He, his wife Bonnie, and their three children live in Madison, AL.