John Casper - NASA Astronaut

NASA Astronaut

Selected by NASA in May 1984, Casper became an astronaut in June 1985. A veteran of four space flights, he has logged over 825 hours in space. He was the pilot on mission STS-36, and spacecraft commander on missions STS-54, STS-62 and STS-77. His technical assignments while assigned to the Astronaut Office included: Chief of the Operations Development Branch; lead for improvements to the nosewheel steering, brakes, tires, and development of a landing drag chute; astronaut team leader for the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); and ascent/entry spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center.

Following his last Shuttle mission, Colonel Casper has served in positions of increasing responsibility in NASA. Casper was Director of Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance at the Johnson Space Center, where he was responsible for all safety, reliability and quality activities for JSC's human spaceflight programs, including the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, Space Launch Initiative, and Crew Return Vehicles. He also was responsible for planning, directing and implementing an effective institutional safety program to prevent injuries, loss of life, or loss of capital assets.

After the Columbia disaster in February 2003, Casper became the NASA Mishap Investigation Team's deputy for the Columbia debris recovery operation, which involved directing the efforts of over 6,000 ground, air, and water search personnel, as well as protection and impoundment of debris. He was Co-Chair of the Return-To-Flight Planning Team, a NASA Headquarters-chartered independent team charged with addressing all actions necessary to comply with the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations. He then joined the Space Shuttle program and became Manager of the Management Integration and Planning Office, responsible for Return-to-Flight planning and management integration across all program elements. Casper is currently Associate Manager of the Space Shuttle Program, assisting the program manager in the management, integration, and operations of the program.