Frederick Gregory | |
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| Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
Acting | |
| In office February 11, 2005 – April 14, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Sean O'Keefe |
| Succeeded by | Michael D. Griffin |
| 10thDeputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| In office August 12, 2002 – November 4, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | James R. Thompson Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Shana Dale |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frederick Drew Gregory (1941-01-07)January 7, 1941 (age 84) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | United States Air Force Academy (BS) George Washington University (MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel,USAF |
Time in space | 18d 23h 4m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-51-B STS-33 STS-44 |
Mission insignia |    |
Frederick Drew Gregory (born January 7, 1941) is a formerUnited States Air Forcepilot,military engineer,test pilot, andNASAastronaut as well as former NASA deputy administrator. He also served briefly as NASA acting administrator in early 2005, covering the period between the departure ofSean O'Keefe and the swearing in ofMichael D. Griffin.
Gregory was born to anAfrican-American family inWashington, D.C. on January 7, 1941. His father was Francis A. Gregory, an educator who was the assistant superintendent for theDistrict of Columbia Public Schools, as well as the first Black president of theWashington, D.C. Public Library Board of Trustees.[1] His father was given the honor of having theFrancis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library named after him. His mother was Nora Drew Gregory, who was a lifelong educator, as well as a public library advocate.[2] She was also the sister of the noted African-American physician, surgeon and researcherDr. Charles Drew, who developed improved techniques forblood storage and applied his expert knowledge in developing large-scaleblood banks early inWorld War II, saving thousands of Allied soldiers' lives. Gregory's great-grandfather was educatorJames Monroe Gregory.[3] His family lore suggests he has an ancestor from Madagascar.[4]
Gregory was raised in Washington, D.C., and graduated fromAnacostia High School. He attended theUnited States Air Force Academy after being nominated byAdam Clayton Powell Jr.; there, he received his Air Force commission and an undergraduate degree in military engineering.[5]
After graduating from the Air Force Academy, Gregory earned his wings after helicopter school, flew in Vietnam, transitioned to fighter aircraft, attended the Navy Test Pilot School, and then conducted testing as an engineering test pilot for both the Air Force and NASA. He also received a master's degree ininformation systems fromGeorge Washington University.[5]
During his time in the Air Force, Gregory logged approximately 7,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft as a helicopter, fighter and test pilot. He flew 550 combat rescue missions in Vietnam.[6]
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Gregory was selected as an astronaut in January 1978. His technical assignments included: Astronaut Office representative at the Kennedy Space Center during initial Orbiter checkout and launch support forSTS-1 andSTS-2; Flight Data File Manager; lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM); Chief, Operational Safety, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; Chief, Astronaut Training; and a member of the Orbiter Configuration Control Board and the Space Shuttle Program Control Board. Notably, he was one of theCAPCOM during theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster. A veteran of three Shuttle missions he has logged about 456 hours in space. He served as pilot onSTS-51B (April 29 to May 6, 1985), and was the spacecraft commander onSTS-33 (November 22–27, 1989), andSTS-44 (November 24 to December 1, 1991).[5]
STS-51B/Spacelab-3 launched fromKennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 29, 1985, with Gregory serving as pilot. The crew aboard the OrbiterChallenger included spacecraft commander,Robert Overmyer; mission specialists,Norman Thagard,William E. Thornton, andDon Lind; and payload specialists,Taylor Wang andLodewijk van den Berg. On this second flight of the laboratory developed by theEuropean Space Agency (ESA), the crew conducted a broad range of scientific experiments ranging from space physics to the suitability of animal-holding facilities. The crew also deployed theNorthern Utah Satellite (NUSAT). After seven days of around-the-clock scientific operations,Challenger and its laboratory cargo landed on the dry lakebed atEdwards Air Force Base, California, on May 6, 1985. Mission duration was 168 hours, 8 minutes, 47 seconds.[7]
WhenSTS-33 launched at night, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 22, 1989, Gregory became the firstAfrican-American to command a space flight.[8] On board the OrbiterDiscovery, Gregory's crew included the pilot,John Blaha, and three mission specialists,Manley (Sonny) Carter,Story Musgrave, andKathryn Thornton. The mission carriedDepartment of Defense payloads and other secondary payloads. After 79 orbits of the Earth, this five-day mission concluded on November 27, 1989, with a hard surface landing on Runway 04 at Edwards AFB, California. Mission duration was 120 hours, 7 minutes, 32 seconds.[9]
STS-44 launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 24, 1991. During 110 orbits of the Earth, the crew successfully deployed their prime payload, the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. They worked on a variety of secondary payloads ranging from theMilitary Man in Space experiment designed to evaluate the ability of a space borne observer to gather information about ground troops, equipment and facilities, and also participated in extensive studies evaluating medical countermeasures to long duration space flight. The crew aboard the OrbiterAtlantis included the pilotTom Henricks; three mission specialists, Story Musgrave,Jim Voss, andMario Runco Jr.; and Army payload specialistTom Hennen. The mission concluded on December 1, 1991, with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Mission duration was 166 hours, 50 minutes, 42 seconds.[10]
Gregory served at NASA Headquarters as Associate Administrator for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (1992–2001), and was Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Flight (2001–2002). On August 12, 2002, Mr. Gregory was sworn in as NASA Deputy Administrator.[11] In that role, he was responsible to the Administrator for providing overall leadership, planning, and policy direction for the Agency. The Deputy Administrator performs the duties and exercises the powers delegated by the Administrator, assists the Administrator in making final Agency decisions, and acts for the Administrator in his or her absence by performing all necessary functions to govern NASA operations and exercise the powers vested in the Agency by law. The Deputy Administrator articulates the Agency's vision and represents NASA to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of Federal and other appropriate Government agencies, international organizations, and external organizations and communities.[12] From the departure ofSean O'Keefe on February 20, 2005, to the swearing in ofMichael D. Griffin on April 14, 2005, he was the NASA Acting Administrator. He returned to the post of Deputy Administrator and on September 9, 2005, submitted his resignation. He was replaced on November 29, 2005, byShana Dale.[11][13]
Gregory was married to the former Barbara Archer of Washington, D.C., until her death in 2008. They had two grown children: Frederick, D. Jr., a Civil Servant working in the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (DOD) and a graduate ofStanford University and the University of Florida, and Heather Lynn, who is a social worker and graduate ofSweet Briar College and the University of Maryland. Gregory is now married to the former Annette Becke of Washington, D.C., and together they have three children and six grandchildren. His recreational interests includereading, boating, hiking, diving, biking and traveling.[6][14]
Mr. Gregory is a member of the following organizations:[14]
Mr. Gregory holds the following honors and awards:[15]
NASA Astronaut Group 8, "TFNG (Thirty-Five New Guys)", 1978  | |||||||
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NASA Astronaut Group 7 ← NASA Astronaut Group 8 →NASA Astronaut Group 9 | |||||||
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