Robert Cabana, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, will be the new director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The former astronaut was the director of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Cabana earned a bachelor’s in mathematics from the academy in 1971, was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
“Bob has seen it all and done it all in human space flight, and done it with an open, collaborative style. There is just no better teammate,” said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in a statement. Cabana is replacing William Parsons, who is pursuing opportunities in the private sector.
