posted 07-24-2009 03:13 PM               

Veteran Astronaut Pam Melroy Leaves NASA

NASA astronaut Pam Melroy is leaving the agency to take a job in the private sector. Melroy, a retired Air Force colonel, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and the second woman to command one.

"Pam has performed superbly as an astronaut," said Steve Lindsey, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "She has flown three highly successful space shuttle missions and contributed in several other technical areas during her 14 years of service with the Astronaut Office. Her leadership as the commander of the STS-120 space shuttle mission paved the way to six-person crew operations on the International Space Station."

"As a classmate and a friend, I feel privileged to have served beside her. We wish Pam the best of luck in her new career -- she will be missed," Lindsey added.

Photo credit: NASA

Melroy flew on shuttle missions STS-92 in 2000, STS-112 in 2002 and STS-120 in 2007. She served as pilot on her first two flights and commanded the third. She has logged more than 924 hours in space, contributing to the construction of the space station on every mission. She was selected as an astronaut in December 1994.

Melroy made history with Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson in October 2007 when the hatches between the space shuttle and space station were opened. They became the first female spacecraft commanders to lead space shuttle and space station missions concurrently.

posted 07-28-2009 10:28 PM               

Pam is a true treasure. I first met her when she came out to Australia in the mid-1990s to give a talk at our Australian International Space School. Same old story; the kids were a little disappointed because NASA had sent someone who hadn't flown, but I told them they could now follow her career and rejoice in her accomplishments - which became many. She was tremendous with the kids on this and subsequent visits down here, and did all she could to promote space science with young people.

posted 08-11-2009 11:36 AM               

She is moving over to Lockheed Martin to take on the post of deputy program manager for engineering in the space exploration initiative. There Melroy will oversee the contracted work on the new Orion crew exploration vehicle, which NASA plans to use to fly humans to the moon and Mars.

"I'm very much in support of the Orion design and the Orion program," Melroy said. "I think it's time for us to get out of low Earth orbit and Orion is going to take us there. We're ready to go the moon."

posted 08-13-2009 10:58 AM               

Pam Melroy Joins Lockheed Martin's IS&GS - Civil, Exploration & Science Team

Lockheed Martin announced that Pam Melroy has joined the Exploration and Science team as Director and Deputy Program Manager of the Space Exploration Initiatives (SEI) Program Office.

Melroy is a veteran Space Shuttle Commander and Air Force test pilot. She has flown three Space Shuttle Missions, served as the Deputy Project Manager for the Columbia crew survival investigation and the Reconstruction Lead on the Columbia Crew Module. She served as a lead test pilot for development of the C-17 aircraft and most recently has been working as the Branch Chief for the Astronaut office working on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.

"We are extremely pleased to have a person of Pam Melroy's background and capabilities to support the Orion Program and to help lead the business in space exploration," said Rick Hieb, Vice President Lockheed Martin IS&GS — Civil, Exploration & Science programs. "Pam's extensive knowledge of the human space program will play a critical role in helping our customers meet their future space mission challenges."

Lockheed Martin is building Orion, the next generation space vehicle for NASA, which will take humans to the Space Station, to the moon, and on to Mars.

Melroy received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astronomy from Wellesley College and a Master of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

posted 10-09-2017 09:09 PM               

The retired astronaut was in SA this week for the International Astronautical Congress when the Federal Government announced the agency's creation. Colonel Melroy has been visiting Australia for more than 20 years to talk to students about space, and her hopes are that the agency will stop the brain drain. "There's so much talent here and so much interest. And it's my hope that this space agency will provide the focus to enable a very robust industry that allows all that Australian native talent to stay here in Australia," she said.

"So the ones who want to work in space don't have to go to another country to do it."

posted 11-02-2017 08:49 PM               

Former Space Shuttle Commander Pamela Melroy Joins PSI Board of Directors

Pamela Melroy (Colonel, USAF, Retired), a retired test pilot and astronaut, has joined the Board of Trustees at the Planetary Science Institute.

Melroy has a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in Physics and Astronomy and a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Planetary Science. After serving the United States Air Force and NASA, she worked at Lockheed Martin on the Orion program, and was acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration. She most recently served as Deputy Director, Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The Planetary Science Institute studies the origin, characteristics, and evolution of planetary systems, including our solar system, Earth itself, and planetary systems around other stars. It conveys the resulting knowledge to the scientific community, and to the public at large to promote science education and science literacy. It further uses this knowledge to advance human activity in space and shape the future of robotic exploration of the solar system.

"Pamela Melroy embodies the lifelong ambitions shared by many of us in space exploration," said Mark Sykes, CEO and Director of PSI. "Her deep experience in human spaceflight, the aerospace industry, and related government programs will be of great value as we continue to expand the impact and application of our work."

"I truly look forward to joining the PSI board," said Melroy. "It's wonderful to be involved again with my first scientific passion -- planetary science -- and to support planetary scientists in their quest for knowledge of our universe."