Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 11-250
NASA SAFETY CHIEF BRYAN O'CONNOR TO RETIRE
WASHINGTON -- Bryan O'Connor, NASA's chief of safety and mission
assurance since 2002, has announced plans to retire from the agency
on Aug. 31.
"Bryan is a fellow Marine, trusted advisor and friend I have been
privileged to serve with off and on since our years as plebes at the
U.S. Naval Academy," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "I am
deeply grateful for his vigilance over the safety and well-being of
NASA's people and its work. His concern and commitment have
encompassed not just the space shuttle and the astronaut corps, but
every mission, large or small, and every member of the NASA family.
He'll be sorely missed."
O'Connor announced his plans to members of his staff in NASA's Office
of Safety and Mission Assurance on Tuesday. In his current role, he
is responsible for the safety, reliability, maintainability and
quality assurance of all NASA programs.
"Even though good practice suggests shorter tours for senior leaders,
I did not want to pass the safety baton until after the STS-135 crew
left Atlantis on the runway," O'Connor said. "This transition is a
great time to let someone new take on this wonderful role you've
permitted me to serve in."
Atlantis completed STS-135, the last mission of the space shuttle
program, with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on
July 21.
O'Connor held management positions in NASA's space shuttle,
International Space Station, and Shuttle-Mir programs, and played
prominent safety management roles in the agency's recovery from two
space shuttle accidents, the loss of Challenger in 1986 and the loss
of Columbia in 2003. Prior to that, he joined NASA's astronaut corps
in 1980 and flew two missions aboard the space shuttle.
For O'Connor's complete biography, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/oconnor_bio.html
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
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