KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - Bob Cabana commanded space shuttle Endeavour ten years ago on STS-88. His job was to lead the first-of-its kind mission to begin assembly, in space, of the International Space Station. For the first time in history, a multitude of nations came together to create a space station so large it requires people to manually put all the pieces together in orbit. His mission was the first of many assembly flights to follow and perfection was a necessity. On October 29, Cabana accepted a challenge even greater than kicking off the station's twelve-year assembly process when assumed the helm of leadership of Kennedy Space Center at a time when the station is nearing completion and the shuttle nearing the end of its life.
Robert Cabana is taking over from Bill Parsons, a popular and effective leader within NASA who demonstrated his mettle in the months and years after the Columbia accident. Parsons has worked tirelessly to position Kennedy Space Center for its critical role in NASA's Constellation program and the resumption of manned missions to the Moon. At the same time, he began the process to prepare KSC's workforce for the retirement of the shuttle and subsequent downsizing of the workforce. It will be Cabana's job to complete the process, bringing to a close nearly thirty years of the space shuttle, thirty years that have seen the shuttle become a fixture and way of life not only at the space center, but in surrounding communities and residents. The challenges are tremendous. The first task: fly the remaining shuttle missions safely and complete assembly of the International Space Station. No matter what else happens, if the station isn't completed successfully or if there is another accident with the space shuttle, it could mean the end of manned spaceflight in NASA. The future of NASA, the future of the Vision for Space Exploration and Project Constellation, hinges on the successful flyout of the shuttle manifest. With a 1-in-80 chance of a catastrophic failure on any given mission, even flying the shuttle one time is nearly an engineering miracle. Cabana will have to ensure that the next ten, and a 1-in-8 chance of losing at least one mission, go off without a hitch in order to complete station assembly by the 2010 retirement of the shuttle. His job will be even harder since the workforce who prepares and launches the space shuttle knows that for a good many of them, the end of shuttle also means the end of their jobs. He is keenly aware of how difficult it is to fly the shuttle safely, and the consequences of failure. As Director of Flight Crew Operations as NASA's Johnson Space Center, he was at the shuttle's landing runway in Florida on a chilly February morning in 2003 awaiting the return of Columbia from a highly successful 16-day research mission. Columbia and her seven member crew never made it home that day. "I'm still having a hard time with that," he said of the Columbia accident which claimed the lives of seven astronauts and friends. He said he thinks everyone who holds a management position in the agency should be required to go to the room in the VAB where Columbia debris is stored and be reminded of the human cost of failure for an agency that lives on the cutting edge of what's humanly possible. When the space shuttle retires, more than 3,000 NASA employees will potentially lose their jobs. Many will find other positions in NASA, its contractor workforce or the private sector aerospace industry. For most, however, it's likely the end of the line for them, unfortunately. Bob Cabana will have to strive hard to maintain morale in the KSC workforce as the end of life for the shuttle gets nearer with each mission. As much as he will have to chart a course through the end of the Space Transportation System, he will also lead the reshaping of Kennedy Space Center and its workforce as NASA transitions to Constellation. The challenges are daunting here as well. To the public, the changes are mostly superficial, although as grand as the assembly buildings and launch pads that will once again ready humans for flights to the Moon, and one day Mars. The fifty story tall Vehicle Assembly Building will need its cavernous interior remodeled, with its numerous work platforms and rooms tailor-made to support the shuttle's unique shape and structure removed and replaced by facilities to support the Ares I crew launch vehicle and future Ares V super heavy-lift cargo vehicle. The massive 300 foot tall steel fixed and rotating service towers on pads A and B at Launch Complex 39 will be torn down, replaced by a "clean pad" concept similar to what was utilized the last time NASA launched humans to the Moon during the Apollo program. New lighting towers at the launch pads are being constructed to protect the new rockets which are over a hundred feet taller than the shuttle. Facilities that currently process hardware for the space station will be retooled to support the Orion space capsule and lunar hardware. Still, his toughest job may be managing the transition between the two programs, and the transition to a smaller workforce at the space center. It's already a given that there will be fewer NASA jobs at Kennedy once the shuttle is retired. In fact, the downsizing has already started. "I'm coming into a job where in two years they tell me there's going to be 4,000 people out of work," Cabana said of the challenge he faces. Cabana is confident there are things the agency can do to help mitigate the impact of the losses to some degree. He said there is hope for bringing in other federal agencies and the private sector who may find KSC's infrastructure and experienced engineers, technicians and industrial talent an attractive option for locating work at or near the space center. "If we can utilize some of the facilities we have to draw in other work, it may not be the number of jobs that are going to be gone, but it's going to help." With the overwhelming challenges ahead for the Director of Kennedy Space Center, one might expect him to be somewhat trepidatious about his new job. But for the former astronaut who was not only instrumental in getting the space station off the ground, but also led the astronaut corps and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, the new challenges represent an exciting new opportunity in a career filled with them. "I never dreamed I'd be an astronaut, let alone the Director of Kennedy Space Center one day," he said. At 59 years old, Cabana's career is far from over, but his life has already been filled with enough excitement and challenges to fill several lifetimes. A native of Minnesota, Cabana graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cabana is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has logged over 7,000 hours in 36 different aircraft. After his selection as an astronaut candidate in June of 1985, Cabana completed his training in 1986. He has flown four shuttle missions, serving as the pilot of Discovery on STS-41 in October 1990, the pilot of Discovery on STS-53 in December 1992, the commander of Columbia on STS-65 in July 1994, and the commander of Endeavour on STS-88, which was the first International Space Station assembly flight, in December 1998. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008 and has two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Medals for Outstanding Leadership, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, and four NASA Space Flight Medals. Before being named the director at Stennis in October 2007, Cabana served as deputy director of Johnson. In addition, Cabana has worked as chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, manager of international operations of International Space Station Program, director of NASA's Human Space Flight Program in Russia, deputy director of the International Space Station Program, and director of Flight Crew Operations. In his personal life, he is married to the former Nancy Joan Shimer of Cortland, New York. They have three children, Jeffrey, Christopher and Sarah. During his off-time he enjoys jogging, cycling, softball, sailing, and woodworking. (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)
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