Rochester native Pamela Melroy nominated for NASA deputy administrator by President Biden

Posted By: christinab
April 19, 2021 @ 1:10 pm
Rochester

WASHINGTON (WROC) — Bishop Kearney graduate Pam Melroy was nominated by President Joe Biden to become NASA’s next deputy administrator.

Melroy is one of the only two women to command the space shuttle. She was selected for the astronaut program in 1995 and completed three space missions — twice as a pilot and once as a commander.

All three missions help to build the International Space Station.

She retired from NASA in 2009.

From the White House

Pamela Melroy, Nominee for Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Pam Melroy (Colonel, USAF, ret) is an aerospace executive with government and industry experience across civil, commercial, and national security space. She is a retired U.S. Air Force test pilot and former NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander. Melroy is a veteran of Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, with over 200 combat and combat support hours. She has logged more than 6,000 hours flight time in more than 50 different aircraft. Melroy flew three missions in space: as Space Shuttle pilot during STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and as Space Shuttle Commander during STS-120 in 2007. One of only two women to command the Space Shuttle, she has logged more than 38 days in space.

After NASA, Melroy served as Deputy Program Manager for the Lockheed Martin Orion Space Exploration Initiatives program. She then returned to government, overseeing commercial space licensing activities at the Office of Commercial Space Transportation at the FAA as Director of Field Operations and acting Deputy Associate Administrator. She subsequently served as Deputy Director, Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where she directed a large advanced technology development portfolio. Melroy later was the Director of Space Technology and Policy for Nova Systems Pty, Australia and an advisor to the Australian Space Agency. She is an independent consultant and a member of the Users Advisory Group to the National Space Council.