WASHINGTON — NASA swore in a new deputy administrator last week whose leadership experience will be key in helping the agency’s bold new missions to the moon and beyond.
Here are nine things to know about NASA’s new Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy:
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1) Along with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Melroy is responsible for providing overall leadership, planning and policy direction for NASA.
2) She was nominated in April by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate on June 17.
3) She is responsible for outlining the agency’s vision and representing NASA to the Executive Office of the President, Congress and other government agencies.
4) She is one of only two women to command a space shuttle and has logged more than 38 days in space.
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5) All three of her previous flights with NASA were missions to help assemble the International Space Station.
6) Melroy is a veteran who served more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force.
7) After graduating from United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Melroy logged more than 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft.
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8) Melroy’s previous leadership experience includes roles at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
9) She holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in Earth and planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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