White House moves to fill
No. 2 position at NASA

NASA NEWS RELEASE
Posted: May 9, 2002

  De Winne
Frederick D. Gregory. Photo: NASA
 
President George W. Bush has announced his intention to nominate Frederick D. Gregory as the next Deputy Administrator for NASA. Gregory, 61, is a veteran astronaut and U.S. Air Force combat pilot, and currently serves as the Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

"I am delighted with the President's decision and I'm hopeful for an expeditious Senate confirmation," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "Fred's legacy of mission safety and his experience as a Space Shuttle commander, aviator and senior agency manager make him an excellent selection."

If confirmed as Deputy Administrator, Gregory will serve as the chief operating officer for the agency and report directly to Administrator O'Keefe. He will be responsible for directing and managing many of the programs as well as the day-to-day operations and activities at NASA.

Before being named to his current position in December 2001, Gregory served as Associate Administrator for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and was charged with the oversight of all safety issues within NASA. He developed, implemented and managed quality assurance policies that dealt with reliability and maintainability.

"This agency has the safest and most successful aeronautics and aerospace programs in the world," said Gregory. "I deeply appreciate the opportunity to build on that foundation of success as NASA moves into a new era."

As a NASA astronaut, Gregory logged more than 455 hours in space during three Space Shuttle missions. In 1985, he served as pilot on board Challenger during STS-51B. Gregory was mission commander for STS-33 in 1989 and STS-44 in 1991.

Gregory was selected as an astronaut in 1978, after a distinguished career with the U.S. Air Force. He logged nearly 7,000 hours in 50 types of aircraft, including 550 combat missions over Vietnam. He retired as a Colonel in December 1993.

Gregory has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, 16 Air Medals, The Air Force Commendation Medal and three NASA Space Flight medals.

His honors also include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Award, the National Society of Black Engineers Distinguished National Scientist Award, the George Washington University Distinguished Alumni Award and an "Ira Eaker Fellow" by the Air Force Association.

Additional information about Gregory is available on the Internet at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/fredbio.html.