James B. Odom

Last updated
James B. Odom
Born1933/1934(age 88–89) [1]
Alma mater Auburn University (BS)
SpouseJune Peevy [2]
Children2 [2]
Awards NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive (twice)
Scientific career
Institutions Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Marshall Space Flight Center

James B. Odom (born 1933/1934) is an American aerospace engineer and NASA official. He served as director for several major programs at the Marshall Space Flight Center, including the Space Telescope and the Space Station. For his career, he was the recipient of NASA's Exceptional and Distinguished Service Medals.

Contents

Biography

Odom was born in 1933 or 1934 [1] in Alabama. He attended McKenzie High School, graduating in 1951, and later studied at Troy State College and Auburn University. In 1955 he graduated from Auburn with a BS in mechanical engineering. After graduating, Odom worked for the Chemstrand Corporation in Decatur, Alabama [2] for six months before being drafted by the Army. After completing basic training, he was recommended to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, where he joined the launching and handling lab [3] as a systems engineer. [2]

Odom transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1959, a year ahead of its formal establishment. His initial work at the center focused on the development of earth satellites and unmanned space probes. His first notable appointment was as chief of Engineering and Test Operations for the Saturn V launch vehicle's second stage. When NASA's Space Shuttle project began, Odom was first appointed manager of the External Tank Project in 1972 and then deputy manager for Production and Logistics in 1982. [2] He also led the Shuttle's source evaluation board, picking the contractor for the external tank and helping to negotiate the contract. [3] In 1983, Odom was appointed manager of the Space Telescope Office. In November 1986, he was appointed director of the MSFC's Science and Engineering Directorate. [2] By March 1988, he had become head of the Space Station program, succeeding the program's former director Andrew J. Stofan. [4]

In April 1989, Odom retired from NASA, citing new federal regulations that would have prevented later retirees from leaving government jobs to take similar jobs in the private sector. [5] After retiring, he became CEO of Applied Research Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1994, he became a consultant to the Science Applications International Corporation. [6]

Awards and honors

Odom received several major awards during his time at NASA. In April 1973, he received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his work on the Saturn V. In September 1981, he received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his work on the Space Shuttle. Odom also received the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive twice, once for his management on the External Tank and once for his management on the Space Telescope. [2]

In 2019, Odom was honored by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce as the county's Citizen of the Year. [6] Odom is also the namesake of Auburn University's James B. and June Peevy Odom Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to engineering students based on financial need. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylab</span> First space station launched and operated by NASA

Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Space Flight Center</span> Rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. As the largest NASA center, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo program. Marshall has been the lead center for the Space Shuttle main propulsion and external tank; payloads and related crew training; International Space Station (ISS) design and assembly; computers, networks, and information management; and the Space Launch System (SLS). Located on the Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, MSFC is named in honor of General of the Army George C. Marshall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-35</span> 1990 American crewed spaceflight

STS-35 was the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, the 38th shuttle flight, and a mission devoted to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1, a Spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 2, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Davis</span> American engineer and astronaut

Nancy Jan Davis is a former American astronaut. A veteran of three space flights, Davis logged over 673 hours in space. She is now retired from NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn IB</span> American rocket used in the Apollo program during the 1960s and 70s

The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It uprated the Saturn I by replacing the S-IV second stage, with the S-IVB. The S-IB first stage also increased the S-I baseline's thrust from 1,500,000 pounds-force (6,700,000 N) to 1,600,000 pounds-force (7,100,000 N) and propellant load by 3.1%. This increased the Saturn I's low Earth orbit payload capability from 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) to 46,000 pounds (21,000 kg), enough for early flight tests of a half-fueled Apollo command and service module (CSM) or a fully fueled Apollo Lunar Module (LM), before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready.

Space Shuttle <i>Pathfinder</i> Space Shuttle test simulator

The Space Shuttle Pathfinder is a Space Shuttle test simulator made of steel and wood. Constructed by NASA in 1977 as an unnamed facilities test article, it was purchased in the early 1980s by the America-Japan Society, Inc. which had it refurbished, named it, and placed it on display in the Great Space Shuttle Exhibition in Tokyo. The mockup was later returned to the United States and placed on permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in May 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James S. Voss</span>

James Shelton Voss is a retired United States Army colonel and NASA astronaut. During his time with NASA, Voss flew in space five times on board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. He also served as deputy of Flight Operations for the Space Station Program Mission Integration and Operations Office. While participating in ISS Expedition 2, he and Susan Helms conducted an 8-hour and 56 minute spacewalk, the longest to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Shuttle external tank</span> Component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle

The Space Shuttle external tank (ET) was the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contained the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three RS-25 main engines in the orbiter. The ET was jettisoned just over 10 seconds after main engine cut-off (MECO) and it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike the Solid Rocket Boosters, external tanks were not re-used. They broke up before impact in the Indian Ocean, away from shipping lanes and were not recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Space & Rocket Center</span> Science museum in Huntsville, Alabama

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is a museum operated by the government of Alabama, showcasing rockets, achievements, and artifacts of the U.S. space program. Sometimes billed as "Earth's largest space museum", astronaut Owen Garriott described the place as, "a great way to learn about space in a town that has embraced the space program from the very beginning."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michoud Assembly Facility</span> NASA rocket manufacturing complex in Michoud, New Orleans

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is an 832-acre manufacturing complex owned by NASA in New Orleans East, a section of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. Organizationally it is part of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and is currently a multi-tenant complex to allow commercial and government contractors, as well as government agencies, to use the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex McCool</span> NASA manager (1923–2020)

Alexander A. McCool Jr. was manager of the Space Shuttle Projects Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During his career, McCool contributed to several space developments including the Apollo Program, Skylab and the Space Shuttle program.

Travis Shane Taylor is an American scientist, engineer, science fiction author, and the star of National Geographic Channel's Rocket City Rednecks which aired 2011–2013. Taylor has written numerous technical papers, science fiction novels, and two textbooks. He has appeared in television documentaries, including NGC's When Aliens Attack and starring as the lead investigator in History Channel's The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James R. Thompson Jr.</span> Deputy Administrator of NASA

James Robert Thompson Jr., known as J.R. Thompson, was the fifth director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as director from September 29, 1986, to July 6, 1989. Thompson also served as NASA's deputy director from July 6, 1989, to November 8, 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Porter Bridwell</span> Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA) Director

Gene Porter Bridwell was the seventh director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as director from January 6, 1994 to February 3, 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David A. King (engineer)</span> American mechanical and aerospace engineer

David Arnold King is an American engineer who was the tenth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konrad Dannenberg</span> German-American rocket pioneer (1912–2009)

Konrad Dannenberg was a German-American rocket pioneer and member of the German rocket team brought to the United States after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard G. Smith (engineer)</span> American engineer (1929–2019)

Richard G. Smith was director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center from September 26, 1979 to August 2, 1986. Born in Durham, N.C., in 1929, Smith was educated in Alabama schools. After graduation from Decatur High School, he attended Florence State College and Auburn University. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Auburn in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation in Alabama</span>

Alabama's first aeronautical event was on 10 March 1910 with the flight of a Wright biplane flown by Orville Wright in Montgomery, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich Struck</span> German-American rocket scientist

Heinrich Georg "Heinz" Struck was a German-American rocket scientist and member of the "von Braun rocket team." Struck worked in aerodynamics in both the private and federal sectors, particularly NASA, where he was recognized for his contributions to the Space Shuttle program.

George Landwehr von Pragenau was an Austrian-American engineer and rocket scientist. Brought to the U.S. by the Army for his work with transistors, he was heavily involved with the testing of the Saturn I and Saturn V rockets and the Space Shuttle. In 1985 he received NASA's Inventor of the Year Award for his work in stabilizing the Shuttle's fuel pumps.

References

  1. 1 2 "3 in Top-Level Posts at Space Agency Resign". Los Angeles Times . April 25, 1989. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Biographical Sketch" (PDF). nasa.gov. NASA. December 1986. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Odom, James B. (August 26, 1993). "Interview with James B. Odom" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Andrew Dunar and Stephen Waring. Huntsville, AL: NASA. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  4. "Odom To Head NASA's Space Station Project". apnews.com. Associated Press. March 4, 1988. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. Havemann, Judith (April 25, 1989). "2 TOP NASA OFFICIALS QUIT UNEXPECTEDLY". Washington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Jim Odom honored with Chamber's Citizen of the Year award at Annual Meeting". dcc.org. Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce. April 9, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. "James B. and June Peevy Odom Endowed Scholarship". auburn.academicworks.com. Auburn University. Retrieved March 7, 2021.