Pamela Melroy | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| 15thDeputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| In office June 21, 2021 – January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | James Morhard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pamela Ann Melroy (1961-09-17)September 17, 1961 (age 63) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Education | Wellesley College (BA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 38d 20h 6m |
| Selection | NASA Group 15 (1994) |
| Missions | STS-92 STS-112 STS-120 |
Mission insignia |    |
Pamela Ann Melroy (born September 17, 1961) is an American retiredUnited States Air Force officer andNASAastronaut serving as thedeputy administrator of NASA. She served as pilot onSpace Shuttle missionsSTS-92 andSTS-112 and commanded missionSTS-120 before leaving the agency in August 2009. After serving as deputy program manager of Space Exploration Initiatives withLockheed Martin,[1] Melroy joined theFederal Aviation Administration in 2011, where she was a senior technical advisor and director of field operations for the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation.[2]
In 2013, she left the FAA and joinedDARPA as deputy director of the Tactical Technology Office. She left the agency in February 2017.
In November 2021, Melroy was inducted into theUnited States Astronaut Hall of Fame at theKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The ceremony, planned for May 2020, was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[3][4]
Melroy was born inPalo Alto,California, and graduated fromBishop Kearney High School inRochester in 1979.[5] She received aBachelor of Arts inPhysics andAstronomy fromWellesley College in 1983.[6] She then earned herMaster of Science in Earth andPlanetary Science from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. On May 18, 2008, Melroy received an honorary degree fromIona College inNew Rochelle, New York.
Melroy was commissioned throughAir Force ROTC, Detachment 365, in 1984. After completing a master's degree, she attended Undergraduate Pilot Training atReese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas and was graduated in 1985. She flew theKC-10 for six years atBarksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, as a copilot, aircraft commander and instructor pilot. Melroy is a veteran ofthe United States invasion of Panama and OperationDesert Shield/Desert Storm, with over 200 combat and combat support hours. In June 1991, she attended the Air Force Test Pilot School atEdwards Air Force Base, California. Upon her graduation, she was assigned to theC-17 Combined Test Force, where she served as a test pilot until her selection for the astronaut program. She has logged over 5,000 hours of flight time in over 50 different aircraft. Melroy retired from the Air Force in February 2007.
Selected as an astronaut candidate byNASA in December 1994, Melroy reported to theJohnson Space Center in March 1995. She completed a year of training and evaluation and was qualified for flight assignment as a shuttle pilot. Initially assigned to astronaut support duties for launch and landing, she also worked Advanced Projects for the Astronaut Office. She also performed CAPCOM duties in mission control. Melroy served on theColumbia Reconstruction Team as the lead for the crew module and served as deputy project manager for theColumbia crew survival investigation team. In her final position, she served as branch chief for the Orion branch of the Astronaut Office.
Melroy served as pilot on two flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and was the mission commander on STS-120 in 2007, making her the second woman to command a Space Shuttle mission (afterEileen Collins).[7] The STS-120 crew visited the station duringExpedition 16, commanded byPeggy Whitson. Whitson was the first female ISS commander, making theSTS-120 mission the first time that two female mission commanders were in orbit at the same time.[8][9]
She has logged over 924 hours (over 38 days) in space.[8]
In November 2020, Melroy was announced as a member ofPresident-elect Joe Biden's presidential transition Agency Review Team, where her role was to support transition efforts related to NASA. This fueled speculation that Melroy was under consideration for the role ofNASA Administrator in theBiden administration (then-AdministratorJames Bridenstine had indicated that he did not intend to stay in the role under Biden, even if asked).[11][12]
On April 16, 2021, The White House announced their intent to nominate Melroy to be NASA's deputy administrator, under former Democratic SenatorBill Nelson, who was nominated by the White House on March 19, 2021, to be the agency's administrator.[13] On April 22, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[14] TheSenate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on May 20, 2021, in which Melroy won strong bipartisan support to be deputy administrator. During her hearing, Melroy expressed support for extending the lifetime of the International Space Station, and said she would work closely with Administrator Bill Nelson in running the agency.[15]
On June 16, 2021, her nomination was reported out of theSenate Commerce Committee by voice vote, and the following day, her nomination was confirmed by the fullSenate byunanimous consent.[16] On June 21, 2021, she was sworn into office by administratorBill Nelson.[17]
Melroy is married to Douglas Hollett, a geologist, who was previously actingassistant secretary for fossil energy in theUnited States Department of Energy and vice president for Southeast Asia exploration atMarathon Oil.[10]
NASA Astronaut Group 14 ← NASA Astronaut Group 15 →NASA Astronaut Group 16 | |||||||
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