Kenneth L. Reusser ((1920--) 27, 1920 – 20, 2009(2009--) (aged (2009)-(1920)-((06)<(01)or(06)==(01)and(20)<(27)) ) ) was a United States Marine Corps aviator who was considered the most decorated Marine Aviator, having flown 253 combat missions, earning 59 medals, including two Navy Crosses while flying in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
 He is the only aviator to survive being shot down in all three wars.
Ross Erastus Rowell (22 September 1884 – 6 September 1947) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps aviator who achieved the rank of lieutenant general by the end of his 40 years of service.
 He served as Director of Marine Corps Aviation from May 30, 1935 until March 10, 1939 and was one of the three senior officers of Marine Corps aviation during World War II.
Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Austell Cunningham (March 8, 1882 – May 27, 1939) was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Marine Corps aviator and the first Director of Marine Corps Aviation.
 His military career included service in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and U.S. operations in the Caribbean during the 1920s.
James F. "Jim" Amos (born November 12, 1946) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
 As a Naval Aviator, Amos commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during the Iraq War in 2003 and 2004.
 He served as the 31st Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
 He is the first Marine Corps aviator to serve as commandant.
USS "Frank E. Petersen Jr." (DDG-121) is a planned United States Navy "Arleigh Burke"-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 71st overall for the class.
 The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr. (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015), the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.
 The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from Huntington Ingalls Industries on 30 March 2016.
Richard C. Mangrum (October 27, 1906 – September 28, 1985) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1965 to 1967.
 Mangrum was a Marine Corps aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during the Guadalcanal Campaign in World War II.
Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. (USMC) (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general.
 He was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.
John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was a United States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, and United States Senator from Ohio.
 In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times.
Avery Raymond Kier (February 11, 1905 – August 7, 1987) was a United States Marine Corps aviator and general officer.
 During World War II he served as the commanding officer of VMSB-234 and towards the end of the war was a pioneer in the development of close air support for ground combat operations serving at both Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
 Following WW II, Kier served as the commanding officer of numerous Marine aircraft groups, air stations and air wings, with his last assignment being that of Deputy Commander for Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.
 He retired from the Marine Corps on 1 March 1967.
Dyer Brainerd Holmes (May 24, 1921 – January 11, 2013), known professionally as D. Brainerd Holmes, was an American engineer and business executive.
 He was perhaps best known for directing NASA's manned spaceflight program from September 1961 to June 1963, when John Glenn made the pivotal first US orbital spaceflight, but Holmes was also the president of international defense contractor Raytheon.
 He retired from that post in 1986.

Question: Who was the director of NASA when a United States Marine Corps aviator circled the Earth three times?
Answer: Dyer Brainerd Holmes