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Chief of the Astronaut Office

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Chief of the Astronaut Office of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Seal
since February 2, 2023
NASA Astronaut Corps
First holderDeke Slayton
DeputyShannon Walker

The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Chief Astronaut serves as head of the NASA Astronaut Corps and is the principal advisor to the NASA Administrator on astronaut training and operations. The Chief's responsibilities include managing Astronaut Office resources and operations and helping to develop operating concepts and assignments for astronaut flight crew.[1]

History

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When Deke Slayton was grounded from the Mercury Seven due to a heart condition, he took on the position of Coordinator of Astronaut Activities and informally held the title of "chief astronaut". In this role, he held responsibility for the operation of the astronaut office.[2]

The position of Chief of the Astronaut Office was officially created in July 1964, when Alan Shepard was named as the first Chief Astronaut. His responsibilities included monitoring the coordination, scheduling, and control of all activities involving NASA astronauts. This included monitoring the development and implementation of training programs to assure the flight readiness of pilot and non-pilot personnel for space flights; furnishing pilot evaluations applicable to the design, construction, and operations of spacecraft systems and related equipment; and providing scientific and engineering observations to facilitate mission planning, formulation of operational procedures, and selection and conduct of experiments for each flight.[3]

The Chief of the Astronaut Office often returns to active duty once their term is complete.

List of Chief Astronauts

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Notes

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  1. ^ "NASA Names Astronaut Reid Wiseman New Chief of Astronaut Office". Jsc.nasa.gov. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  2. ^ "Astronaut Bio: Deke Slayton 6/93". Jsc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  3. ^ "Astronaut Bio: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 7/98". Jsc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  4. ^ "Alan Bean, Astronaut Speakers". Barberusa.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  5. ^ "NASA - NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly Resumes Training For STS-134 Mission". Nasa.gov. 2011-02-04. Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2014-07-13.