NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory Resigns

NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory Resigns

NASA’s Frederick D. Gregory, who spent 31 years at the agency as a research test pilot, astronaut and senior leader, announced his resignation as deputy administrator today. Gregory will stay in his role until a successor is confirmed by the Senate. “Fred and I have been friends and colleagues in this business for 15 years. There is no finer human being in this agency, and no one who has put his life on the line for his country more so than Fred,” said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. “He is the best of the best, and we have been fortunate to have his steady hand at NASA’s helm during the most troubled period in NASA’s history. We will miss him, and I will miss him.”

In his letter to the President, Gregory highlighted with “great pride” the many successes of NASA during his tenure, including: the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Cassini-Huygens Saturn mission, Deep Impact, the X-43 scramjet-powered research vehicles, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and the five continuous years of human occupancy on the International Space Station. “Each day that I have spent at NASA has resulted in an unmatched level of excitement,” Gregory said. “I have been ever humbled by the support that our nation has provided for our journeys, the influence on the next generation, and the great respect and admiration demonstrated by our international friends.”

In 2002, Gregory was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate as deputy administrator. In this capacity, he served as the chief operating officer for the agency. He was responsible for directing and managing many of the programs, day-to-day operations and activities at NASA. Prior to becoming the deputy administrator, Gregory served as the associate administrator for space flight from December 2001 to August 2002. From June 1992 to December 2001, he was the associate administrator, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Gregory was selected as an astronaut in January 1978. He has logged 455 hours in space: as pilot for the Challenger (STS-51B) in 1985; as commander aboard Discovery (STS-33) in 1989; and as commander aboard Atlantis (STS-44) in 1991.

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