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Glenn Cunningham
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Richard Cook
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa/gov
Contact: Diane Ainsworth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 1999
CUNNINGHAM, COOK NAMED TO MARS POSTS
Glenn E. Cunningham, manager of NASA's Mars Surveyor
Operations Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
CA, has been named deputy director of JPL's Mars Exploration
Directorate. He is succeeded by Richard Cook, who served as
flight operations manager for 1997's Mars Pathfinder lander and
rover mission.
In his newly created position, Cunningham will oversee the
implementation and operations of all of the Mars missions
currently under way or planned through 2013. Those missions
include the currently orbiting Mars Global Surveyor and the
recently launched Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander, as
well as the upcoming 2001 Mars Surveyor orbiter, lander and rover
mission, and the first sample return missions scheduled for
launches in 2003 and 2005.
Cunningham's successor, Richard Cook, will assume the
hands-on role of daily management of flight operations for
missions, including the three spacecraft currently en route to or
in orbit around Mars. His responsibilities include activities
such as orchestrating spacecraft tracking, telecommunications
operations and data collection among multiple spacecraft that
will be conducting their primary science missions concurrently.
Cook will also manage flight operations planning for future Mars
missions, including the 2001 Mars mission and the 2003 and 2005
Mars sample return missions.
Cunningham served as project manager for the development of
Mars Global Surveyor before the flight operations of all upcoming
Mars missions were consolidated under the umbrella of a new
organization called the Mars Surveyor Operations Project. Before
that position, he served as manager of the Mars Observer mission
during its flight phase in 1992-1993.
He joined the Laboratory in 1966 as a systems engineer in
the former Spacecraft System Design & Integration Section and
worked on a variety of spacecraft missions, including the 1969
Mariner mission to Mars. In 1978, he was named spacecraft team
chief of the Voyager mission to the outer planets, and served
through the twin Voyager spacecraft's encounters with Jupiter in
March and July 1979. He also led several pilot studies of robotic
precursor missions to support eventual human exploration of Mars.
In 1990, he joined the Mars Observer project as deputy manager.
Cunningham earned his bachelor's degree in electrical
engineering in 1966 from the University of California at
Berkeley, and holds professional memberships in the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
He has completed several management certification programs,
including Claremont Graduate School's Advanced Management
Program, the NASA System Engineering Program, the NASA Senior
Executive Program and the NASA Advanced Project Management
Program.
A recipient of two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals for
his work on Voyager and Mars Global Surveyor, Cunningham lives in
La Canada-Flintridge, CA.
Prior to his new appointment, Cook served as flight
operations manager responsible for the daily operations of the
Mars Pathfinder lander and rover.
Joining JPL in 1989, Cook worked on the Magellan mission to
Venus and helped plan concepts for projects to Mars and the Moon
before joining the Mars Pathfinder project in 1992 as a mission
designer.
A resident of San Gabriel, CA, Cook earned a bachelor's
degree in engineering physics in 1987 from the University of
Colorado, Boulder, and a master of science degree in aerospace
engineering in 1989 from the University of Texas, Austin. He is
the recipient of a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for his work
on Mars Pathfinder.
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1-13-99 DEA
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