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]
| Chief of the Astronaut Office of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
|---|---|
 NASA Seal | |
| NASA Astronaut Corps | |
| First holder | Deke Slayton |
| Deputy | Shannon Walker |
History
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
| # | Portrait | Name | NASA Group | Started | Resigned | Deputies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Deke Slayton (1924-1993) | 1959 NASA Group 1 | September 18, 1962 | July 8, 1964 | Held position of Coordinator of Astronaut Activities and was referred to unofficially as "Chief Astronaut" | |
| 2 |  | Alan Shepard (1923-1998) | 1959 NASA Group 1 | July 8, 1964 | August 7, 1969 | First person to formally have title of Chief of the Astronaut Office | |
| 3 |  | Tom Stafford (1930-2024) | 1962 NASA Group 2 | August 7, 1969 | June 25, 1971 | Stafford held the position while Shepard prepared for and flew Apollo 14. | |
| 4 |  | Alan Shepard (1923-1998) | 1959 NASA Group 1 | June 25, 1971 | January 14, 1974 | ||
| 5 |  | John Young (1930-2018) | 1962 NASA Group 2 | January 14, 1974 | April 15, 1987 | Paul J. Weitz | Acting Chief during STS-1 training was Alan Bean.[4] |
| 6 |  | Dan Brandenstein (1943-) | 1978 NASA Group 8 | April 27, 1987 | October 1992 | Steven Hawley | Hawley was Acting Chief while Brandenstein prepared for and flew STS-49, the first flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. |
| 7 |  | Robert Gibson (1946-) | 1978 NASA Group 8 | December 8, 1992 | September 6, 1994 | Linda Godwin | Gibson handed the position over to Cabana to begin training for STS-71, the first Shuttle docking to Mir. |
| 8 |  | Robert Cabana (1949-) | 1985 NASA Group 11 | September 6, 1994 | October 1997 | Linda Godwin | Cabana handed the position over to Cockrell to begin training for STS-88, the first International Space Station assembly mission. |
| 9 |  | Kenneth Cockrell (1950-) | 1990 NASA Group 13 | October 1997 | October 1998 | Cockrell later flew two Shuttle missions. | |
| 10 |  | Charles Precourt (1955-) | 1990 NASA Group 13 | October 1998 | November 2002 | Kent Rominger and Steve Smith | |
| 11 |  | Kent Rominger (1956-) | 1992 NASA Group 14 | November 2002 | September 2006 | Andy Thomas and Peggy Whitson | |
| 12 |  | Steven W. Lindsey (1960-) | 1994 NASA Group 15 | September 2006 | October 2009 | Janet Kavandi and Sunita Williams (February 2008 to October 2009). | Lindsey resigned when he was assigned to command STS-133, which at the time was planned to be the final Space Shuttle mission. |
| 13 |  | Peggy Whitson (1960-) | 1996 NASA Group 16 | October 2009 | July 2012 | Rick Sturckow (October 2009 to August 2011); Michael Barratt, MD, and then subsequently Robert Behnken and Eric Boe | Whitson was the first woman and first non-pilot to serve as Chief Astronaut. She resigned when she went back on active flight status.[5] |
| 14 |  | Robert Behnken (1970-) | 2000 NASA Group 18 | July 2012 | July 2015 | Eric Boe | Behnken and Boe both returned to flight status, working on the Commercial Crew Program Behnken later flew on SpaceX Crew Demo 2. |
| 15 |  | Christopher Cassidy (1970-) | 2004 NASA Group 19 | July 2015 | June 2, 2017 | Patrick Forrester | Cassidy returned to flight status, and was assigned to Expedition 62/63. |
| 16 |  | Patrick Forrester (1957-) | 1996 NASA Group 16 | June 2, 2017 | December 20, 2020 | Gregory R. Wiseman, Megan McArthur Behnken, Scott Tingle | Forrester took a leave of absence to pursue a personal opportunity outside of NASA. |
| 17 |  | Gregory R. Wiseman (1975-) | 2009 NASA Group 20 | December 20, 2020 | February 2, 2023 | Andrew Feustel | Stepped down to return to flight rotation, November, 2022. Feustel acted as an acting chief between November 2022 to February 2023. |
| 18 |  | Joseph M. Acaba (1967-) | 2004 NASA Group 19 | February 2, 2023 | present | Andrew Feustel and Shannon Walker |
In popular culture
In For All Mankind, an American alternate history streaming series, Slayton holds the office until he selects himself for duty onboard Apollo 24, aboard which he dies when the mission ends in disaster. He is succeeded by main character Ed Baldwin, who is himself succeeded by Molly Cobb after Baldwin assigns himself to command the first flight of NASA's new nuclear-powered space shuttle.[citation needed]