Donald J . Kutyna General ( ret ) Donald Joseph Kutyna ( born December 6 , 1933 ) is a retired United States Air Force Officer . He was commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command from 1990 to 1992 , and commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base , Colorado from 1987 to 1990 . His parents were of Polish origin . He attended the University of Iowa for two years and subsequently was appointed to the United States Military Academy , graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1957 . He received a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965 . He completed the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1976 . Upon completing pilot training at Vance Air Force Base , Oklahoma , in September 1958 , Kutyna was assigned to the 33rd Bombardment Squadron at March Air Force Base , California , serving as a B - 47 combat crew commander until June 1963 . After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 1965 , he was assigned to the Aerospace Research Pilot School , Edwards Air Force Base , California , first as a student and then as a staff director , training test pilots and astronauts for U . S . aviation and space programs . From December 1969 to January 1971 he served a combat tour of duty with the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand , completing 120 combat missions in the F - 105 tactical fighter . Upon his return from Southeast Asia , the general was assigned to Headquarters U . S . Air Force , Washington , D . C . , as a development planner in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development . In June 1973 , after a tour of duty with the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board , he was assigned as executive officer to the undersecretary of the Air Force . In August 1975 Kutyna entered the Industrial College of the Armed Forces . After graduation in July 1976 , he transferred to Electronic Systems Division , Hanscom Air Force Base , Massachusetts , with duty as assistant deputy for international programs . He then served as program manager for foreign military sales of the E - 3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft and , later , became assistant program director for the overall E - 3A program . In June 1980 he was appointed deputy for surveillance and control systems , responsible for the development and acquisition of the sensors and command centers used today by NORAD and the U . S . Space Command in the satisfaction of their worldwide missions . Kutyna became deputy commander for space launch and control systems at Space Division , Air Force Systems Command , Los Angeles Air Force Station , California , in June 1982 . In this position he managed the Department of Defense space shuttle program , including the design and construction of the West Coast space shuttle launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base , California ; the acquisition of space shuttle upper stage boosters ; and the operational aspects of launching military payloads on the shuttle . Other responsibilities encompassed the development , acquisition and launch support of all Air Force expendable launch vehicles , including the Titan and Atlas space boosters and the Titan IV heavy lift launch vehicle , which provides a capability equivalent to the space shuttle . His programs for control of space missions encompassed the operations and upgrade of the Air Force satellite control network , and development of Air Force Space Command ' s Consolidated Space Operations Center , Falcon Air Force Station , Colorado . In June 1984 the general became director of space systems and command , control and communications , Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Research , Development and Acquisition , at Air Force headquarters . Kutyna is perhaps most famous for his aid in several investigations of NASA launch failures , especially his membership on the Rogers Commission investigating the loss of the Space Shuttle " Challenger " . He was particularly critical of NASA ' s decision to allow the shuttle to keep flying despite knowledge of the catastrophic O - ring flaw that ultimately led to the disaster . He likened this situation to an airline allowing a plane to fly despite evidence that one of its wings was about to fall off . While serving , he befriended fellow panelist Richard Feynman , who later described their partnership in his humorous memoir " What Do You Care What Other People Think ? " . The partnership of Kutyna and Feynman was critical in the discovery and publication of the cause of the " Challenger " disaster : Kutyna told Feynman about how he was repairing his car and discovered that some seals disintegrated due to low temperatures that morning . That inspired Feynman , who discovered the truth about O - ring weakness : they lack elasticity in sub - zero temperatures , such as those the morning of the accident . General Kutyna returned to Los Angeles Air Force Station as vice commander of Space Division in June 1986 , overseeing all space system acquisitions , with particular emphasis on programs associated with the Strategic Defense Initiative . In November 1987 Kutyna became commander of the Air Force Space Command , the newest major command in the Air Force , with headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base . General Kutyna ' s forces conducted missile warning , space surveillance and satellite control operations at 46 locations around the world . He assumed command of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command in April , 1990 . The general was a command pilot with more than 4 , 500 flying hours in 25 different fighters and bombers . His military awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster , Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster , Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters , and Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters . He received the National Geographic Society ' s General Thomas D . White U . S . Air Force Space Trophy in June 1987 . The award is given to the individual who has made the most outstanding contribution to the nation ' s progress in space . He was promoted to general April 1 , 1990 , with same date of rank , and retired June 30 , 1992