ROBERT D. CABANA (COLONEL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, RET.)

DIRECTOR, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

PERSONAL DATA: Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Married to the former Nancy 

Joan Shimer of Cortland, New York. They have three children, Jeffrey, Christopher and 

Sarah. He enjoys mud runs, cycling, sailing and flying.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Washburn High School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 

1967; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval 

Academy in 1971.

ORGANIZATIONS: Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots; Associate 

Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and member of the 

Association of Space Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, 2008; Daughters of the 

American Revolution Award for the top Marine to complete naval flight training, 1976; U.S. Naval Test Pilot School 

Distinguished Graduate Award; De La Vaulx Medal presented by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, 1994; Defense 

Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross; Defense 

Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; National Intelligence Medal of Achievement; two NASA Distinguished 

Service Medals; two NASA Medals for Outstanding Leadership; two NASA Exceptional Service Medals and four NASA Space 

Flight Medals.

EXPERIENCE: After graduation from the Naval Academy, Cabana attended the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, and 

completed naval flight officer training in Pensacola, Florida, in 1972. He served as an A-6 bombardier/navigator with Marine Air 

Wings in Cherry Point, North Carolina and Iwakuni, Japan. He returned to Pensacola in 1975 for pilot training and was 

designated a naval aviator in September 1976. He was then assigned to the Second Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry Point, North 

Carolina, where he flew A-6 Intruders. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981 and served at the Naval Air 

Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, as the A-6 Program Manager, X-29 Advanced Technology Demonstrator Project Officer 

and as a test pilot for flight systems and ordnance separation testing on A-6 and A-4 series aircraft. Prior to his selection as an 

astronaut candidate, he served as the Assistant Operations Officer of Marine Aircraft Group Twelve in Iwakuni, Japan. Cabana 

retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in August 2000.

He has logged more than 7,000 hours in 48 different kinds of aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1985. Cabana completed initial astronaut training in July 

1986, qualifying for assignment as a pilot for future space shuttle flights. After training, his initial assignment was as the 

Astronaut Office Space Shuttle Flight Software Coordinator until November 1986. He was then assigned as the deputy chief of 

Aircraft Operations for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he served for two and a half years. He then served as the lead 

astronaut in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), where the orbiter's flight software was tested prior to flight. 

Cabana has served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center during space shuttle missions and as 

chief of Astronaut Appearances. Prior to becoming the commander of STS-88, Cabana was the chief of the Astronaut Office for 

three years. Following STS-88, Cabana served as the deputy director of Flight Crew Operations. After joining the International 

Space Station Program in October 1999, Cabana managed International Operations. From August 2001 through September 2002, 

he served as director, Human SpaceFlight Programs, Russia. As NASA’s lead representative to the Russian Aviation and Russian 

Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and its contractors, he provided oversight of all human spaceflight operations, logistics and 

technical functions, including NASA’s mission operations in Korolev and crew training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center 

in Star City. Upon his return to the Johnson Space Center, Cabana was assigned as the deputy manager of the International Space 

Station Program. From November 2002 through March 2004, Cabana was director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate 

(FCOD) responsible for directing the day-to-day activities of the directorate, including the Astronaut Corps and aircraft operations 

at Ellington Field in Houston. 

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National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
He was then assigned as deputy director of Johnson Space Center, where he served for three and a half years. He next served 

as the director of NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. 

A veteran of four spaceflights, Cabana has logged more than 910 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-41 and STS-53 

and was mission commander on STS-65 and STS-88, the first International Space Station assembly mission. Cabana 

currently serves as the director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-41 Discovery launched on October 6, 1990, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 

and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 10, 1990. During 66 Earth orbits, the five person crew 

successfully deployed the Ulysses spacecraft, starting the interplanetary probe on its four-year journey, via Jupiter, to 

investigate the polar regions of the sun; operated the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet instrument (SSBUV) to map 

atmospheric ozone levels; activated a controlled fire in space experiment (the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) 

and conducted numerous other middeck experiments involving radiation measurements, polymer membrane production and 

microgravity effects on plants.

STS-53 Discovery launched from Kennedy on December 2, 1992. The crew deployed the classified Department of Defense 

payload DOD-1 and performed several NASA experiments. After completing 115 Earth orbits in 175 hours, Discovery 

landed at Edwards Air Force Base on December 9, 1992.

STS-65 Columbia launched from Kennedy on July 8, 1994, returning to Florida on July 23, 1994. The crew conducted the 

second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) mission, utilizing the long Spacelab module in the payload bay. The 

flight consisted of 82 experiments from 15 countries and six space agencies. During the 15-day flight, the crew conducted 

experiments that focused on materials and life sciences research in a microgravity environment, paving the way for future 

operations and cooperation aboard the International Space Station. The mission was accomplished in 236 Earth orbits in 353 

hours and 55 minutes.

STS-88 Endeavour (December 4 through December 15, 1998) was the first International Space Station assembly mission. 

During the 12-day mission, Unity, the U.S.-built node, was mated with Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Cargo Block 

(FGB). Two crew members performed three spacewalks to connect umbilicals and attach tools/hardware in the assembly and 

outfitting of the station. Additionally, the crew performed the initial activation and first ingress of the space station, preparing 

it for future assembly missions and full-time occupation. The crew also performed IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) 

operations and deployed two satellites, Mighty Sat 1, built by the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory, and SAC-A, the first 

successful launch of an Argentine satellite. The mission was accomplished in 185 Earth orbits in 283 hours and 18 minutes.

JULY 2014