William Parsons, deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, will discuss the return of the space shuttle program following the 2003 Columbia disaster during a Voices of Discovery lecture at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 6 in McCrary Theatre, located in the Center for the Arts on campus. His presentation is free and open to the public.
Parsons was named space shuttle program manager in May 2003, just two months after the space shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew were lost during re-entry over Texas. Following the tragedy, all shuttle missions were suspended so NASA scientists and engineers could investigate the failures that led to the Columbia disaster and make necessary changes. Parsons played a key role in that work and the eventual successful flight of space shuttle Discovery in July 2005. Discovery and Atlantis have also flown missions in 2006.
A native of Mississippi, Parsons has a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Central Florida. A former U.S. Marine, he joined NASA in 1990 as a launch site support manager at the Kennedy Space Center. In 1997, Parsons joined the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and became its director in 2005. Parsons was named deputy director of the Kennedy Space Center in January 2006, and will become director in January 2007.
Parsons has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious Executive); NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal and Distinguished Service Medal; and the Silver Snoopy, awarded by astronauts for outstanding performance in flight safety and mission success.
Parsons’ presentation is part of the Voices of Discovery science speaker series, sponsored by Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. The series invites noted scholars in science and mathematics to Elon to share their knowledge and experience with students.
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