LeRoy E. Cain
Encyclopedia
Leroy E. Cain is a NASA
engineer. Formerly a flight director
, he became the manager of Space Shuttle
Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center
in November 2005.
Born in Dubuque, Iowa
, Cain earned a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa
, in 1988.
for space shuttle guidance and control systems. Cain started as a contractor with the Rockwell Shuttle Operations Company and became a NASA employee in 1991.
In 1997, Cain became the manager of the Space Shuttle Ascent/Entry Guidance and Procedures Section, where he was responsible for pre-mission planning and real-time support in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center.
Cain then served as a NASA flight director in the Mission Operations Directorate, where he supported seventeen space shuttle missions, including six of those missions as the ascent flight director and eight as the entry flight director. Cain was entry flight director during the mission of STS-107
, which broke up
on re-entry.
Cain served in temporary roles as acting deputy manager of the Space Shuttle Program, and acting deputy director of Space Shuttle Processing during a six-month rotational assignment to the Space Shuttle Program office at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2004. In November 2005 he became manager of Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center. Reporting to Wayne Hale
, he assisted with the overall management, integration and operations of the Space Shuttle Program and helped to define launch integration requirements between the Shuttle and International Space Station.
In April 2008, Cain returned to Johnson Space Center to serve as the Deputy Shuttle Program Manager to Shuttle Program Manager, John Shannon.
in 1996.
Cain lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, the former Teri Hickey of San Jose, CA. They have three daughters.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
engineer. Formerly a flight director
Flight director
The term flight director can refer to any one of the following:* the flight controller of a space flight* the flight director of an aviation navigation system...
, he became the manager of Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
in November 2005.
Born in Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, Cain earned a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
, in 1988.
NASA career
Cain began working in the space industry in 1988 as a guidance and control systems engineer at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. He was responsible for pre-mission planning and real-time flight control support in the Mission Control CenterMission Control Center
A mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...
for space shuttle guidance and control systems. Cain started as a contractor with the Rockwell Shuttle Operations Company and became a NASA employee in 1991.
In 1997, Cain became the manager of the Space Shuttle Ascent/Entry Guidance and Procedures Section, where he was responsible for pre-mission planning and real-time support in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center.
Cain then served as a NASA flight director in the Mission Operations Directorate, where he supported seventeen space shuttle missions, including six of those missions as the ascent flight director and eight as the entry flight director. Cain was entry flight director during the mission of STS-107
STS-107
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Liftoff: **Orbiter Landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.1 min- Insignia :...
, which broke up
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
on re-entry.
Cain served in temporary roles as acting deputy manager of the Space Shuttle Program, and acting deputy director of Space Shuttle Processing during a six-month rotational assignment to the Space Shuttle Program office at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2004. In November 2005 he became manager of Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center. Reporting to Wayne Hale
Wayne Hale
N. Wayne Hale Jr. is a former NASA engineer. Previously a flight director and space shuttle program manager, Hale served as NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships prior to his retirement on July 31, 2010....
, he assisted with the overall management, integration and operations of the Space Shuttle Program and helped to define launch integration requirements between the Shuttle and International Space Station.
In April 2008, Cain returned to Johnson Space Center to serve as the Deputy Shuttle Program Manager to Shuttle Program Manager, John Shannon.
Awards
Cain has been honored multiple times, including NASA Outstanding Performance Awards for five consecutive years, a NASA Outstanding Contribution award for the Ariane 502 Re-entry Observation Project in 1997, and a Certificate of Commendation from Johnson Space CenterLyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
in 1996.
Cain lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, the former Teri Hickey of San Jose, CA. They have three daughters.