Boeing

Former astronaut Richard Covey has been named deputy program director for Operations for the Boeing team's NASA Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC) Phase 2 program bid, the company announced today.

Covey will manage the day-to-day operational delivery of CSOC Phase 2 services and data, such as mission and data services and logistics, and will direct activities of Boeing CSOC lead managers at each of five CSOC NASA centers across the nation: Johnson Space Center, Houston; Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Ala.; and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. He reports to Rick Stephens, Boeing CSOC vice president and program director. CSOC Phase 2 is a 10-year, multibillion-dollar contract to substantially improve mission and data services efficiency for more than 100 present and future NASA spacecraft by consolidating ground and space element operations under one contractor. Resulting cost savings will free up funding for other NASA projects. Boeing was awarded a CSOC Phase 1 feasibility study last May. CSOC Phase 2 is expected to be awarded this summer.

"Dick Covey intimately understands NASA's mission and what it takes to bring about real change in conducting NASA's space operations," Stephens said. "He's a proven leader and is well respected within NASA and the contractor and scientific communities."

Covey joined Boeing in 1996 as division director, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace-Houston, responsible for Houston program support, contract administration, new business development, facility and service support and community affairs. The unit provides engineering support and develops software for America's human space flight and commercial space programs. Prior to joining Boeing, Covey was deputy program director, Space Operations, for Unisys Information Management Services in Houston, where he managed the team providing software engineering and operational support for ground-based Space Shuttle systems at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He led senior staff in strategic and business planning efforts and directed initiatives to improve Shuttle training and facility performance.

Covey compiled a distinguished record as a NASA astronaut from 1978 to 1994. He provided technical and operational support for the first six Shuttle flights and developed training, certification and support plans as lead mission control spacecraft communicator. He piloted STS 51-I in 1985 and STS-26, the first mission following the Challenger accident, in 1988. He also served as commander for both STS-38 in 1990 and STS-61 in 1993. As acting director/deputy director, JSC Flight Crew Operations, Covey led the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations Division, directing flight crew support of the Shuttle and International Space Station programs and serving as senior flight crew representative for U.S./Russian mission negotiations. He led U.S. astronauts and their support staff in operations development, mission planning, operational policy development and Shuttle crew assignments.

Before joining NASA, Covey was Joint Test Force director for U.S. Air Force F-15 tactical electronic warfare systems developmental and production verification testing.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in engineering sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master of science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue. A retired Air Force colonel, he was a highly decorated combat pilot and a graduate of the Air Force's Test Pilot School.