COL Nancy J. Currie


Army Aviation Hall of Fame 2010 Induction - Fort Worth, TX
During a 23-year Army career, Colonel Nancy J. Currie was an accomplished Aviator and Astronaut.

Assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Center as an instructor pilot, she developed some of Army Aviation’s first Aircrew Training Manuals.

She helped implement the standardized and effective flight procedures used by Army Aviators.

She was subsequently assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Johnson Space Center.

Utilizing skills developed as an Army Aviator, she became the seventh Army Aviator and first female Army Officer selected for the Astronaut Program.

She served as the Space Shuttle flight engineer during four shuttle missions, logging 1,000 hours in space.

She also served as a spacecraft communicator, crew safety and habitability equipment lead, and chief of both the Robotics and Payloads-Habitability branches.

Following the Columbia tragedy, she lead the Space Shuttle Program’s Safety and Mission Assurance Office and was responsible for implementing the most rigorous flight operations safety processes in NASA’s history.

A member of the Senior Executive Service, she served in key management positions, including Manager of the Habitability and Human Factors Office; Senior Technical Advisor, Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division; and Deputy Director of Engineering.

Dr. Currie currently serves as Chief Engineer, NASA Engineering and Safety Center.

She continues to serve her country as a leader and a role model for both Soldiers and civilians, exemplifying the high standards of an Army Aviator.