Parsons To Leave Agency For Private Sector
NASA announced Tuesday that William Parsons, director of the
John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is leaving the agency in
mid-October to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Parsons
will be succeeded by former astronaut Robert Cabana, currently
director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Gene Goldman, Stennis' deputy director, will become the acting
center director.
Parsons, who joined NASA in 1990, also has 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 the Johnson
Space Center in Houston.
"It has been my distinct privilege to have gotten to know and
work with Bill Parsons since joining NASA as the administrator,"
NASA Administrator Michael 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."
"My time with NASA has been extremely rewarding in many ways but
made more special because of the talented people I have worked with
across all the NASA centers," said Parsons. "Of course, each center
I have worked at holds a special place in my heart and I have many
friends at each one. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity
to serve with you. I look forward to all of your future
successes."
His successor, Cabana, is a native of Minnesota. He graduated
from the US Naval Academy in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in
mathematics and was commissioned as an officer in the US Marine
Corps. Cabana is a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Test
Pilot School and has logged over 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 has flown four space
shuttle missions, serving as the pilot of Discovery on STS-41 in
October 1990, the pilot of Discovery on STS-53 in December 1992,
the commander of Columbia on STS-65 in July 1994, and the 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. In addition, Cabana
has worked as chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, manager of
international operations of 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," 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."