Feed aggregator
NASA Names Deputy Station Manager, Operations Integration Manager
NASA selected Dina Contella as the deputy program manager and Bill Spetch as the operations integration manager for the agency’s International Space Station Program, effective Sunday, June 2.
“Dina’s depth of experience with the complex and dynamic aspects of the space station mission will be instrumental for leading through future challenges,” said Dana Weigel, program manager for NASA’s International Space Station Program. “Bill’s extensive experience with space station hardware and transportation systems uniquely position him for the leadership role as the operations integration manager.”
Contella succeeds Weigel, who became space station program manager in April, and the two will share overall management of the International Space Station, including development, integration, and operations, as well as its cargo and commercial missions. Spetch will oversee day-to-day operations, maintenance, and research aboard the orbiting laboratory, taking over the position held by Contella.
Contella has more than 30 years of experience in various roles supporting the International Space Station, Artemis, and the space shuttle. For the past two-and-a-half years, she was the operations and integration manager, responsible for leading real-time aspects of the program, including chairing the International Space Station mission management team. Contella led about 40 dynamic station operations each year, managing day-to-day space station technical risk decisions and programmatic mission integration among the orbiting laboratory’s five international partner agencies.
Prior to her work in the space station program, Contella held technical and management positions of increasing responsibility, including Gateway program mission integration and utilization manager, Advanced Exploration Systems lead for utilization and logistics across multiple Moon-to-Mars programs, and lead for an industry study to enhance NASA’s understanding of commercialization of low Earth orbit. Before these positions, she served as a NASA flight director, the spacewalk operations group lead, a spacewalk liaison stationed in Russia, a spacewalk flight control officer for space shuttle and space station missions, and a space shuttle navigation and computer instructor.
Contella, from Austin, Texas, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station.
Spetch has 27 years of experience supporting the space station throughout his career. He most recently was the office manager responsible for the health and integrity of the space station, including sustaining, sparing, and integrating commercial elements onto station and providing real-time engineering support. Before that, he was station transportation integration office manager, acting space station mission integration and operations manager, space station transportation integration office deputy manager, and station Vehicle Integrated Performance Environments and Resources (VIPER) team manager.
The Maple Grove, Minnesota native graduated from the University of Minnesota Minneapolis with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics.
Learn more information about the International Space Station at:
-end-
SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites on 50th mission of the year (video)
How to Disprove a Conspiracy Theory in 7 Steps
Conspiracy theories are everywhere. Here's how you can figure out when you're being fooled
Superheavy Elements Are Breaking the Periodic Table
Extreme atoms are pushing the bounds of physics and chemistry
Strangely Shaped Bubbles Tell the Story of Ice’s Formation and Composition
Bubbles shaped like teardrops, flattened eggs and worms reveal ice’s inner life
Book Review: Imagining a Radical New Relationship with the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River has been manipulated for decades. A new book considers alternative forms of control
Asbestos Is Finally Banned in the U.S. Here’s Why It Took So Long
The carcinogenic effects of asbestos have been known for decades. We should have banned it long ago
Lifting the Veil on Near-Death Experiences
What the neuroscience of near-death experiences tells us about human consciousness
Readers Respond to the February 2024 Issue
Letters to the editors for the February 2024 issue of Scientific American
Revolutionary Genetics Research Shows RNA May Rule Our Genome
Scientists have recently discovered thousands of active RNA molecules that can control the human body
Book Review: Your Life Is Ruled by Games You Don’t Even Know You’re Playing
Our overreliance on the simplicity of game logic explains why capitalism got out of control
After Brewing Beer, Yeast Can Help Recycle Metals from E-waste
This beer-making by-product could offer a sustainable way to isolate metals for recycling electronic waste
We Learn and Make Connections Better When Information Comes from People We Like
The way we’re “wired” to learn may divide us
Why Insects Are Lured to Lights in the Night
Moths and other insects aren’t drawn to nighttime illumination for the reasons we think they are
Adolescent Anxiety Is Hard to Treat. New Drug-Free Approaches May Help
Research on the developing brain points to new ways to help young people with anxiety disorders
Contributors to Scientific American’s June 2024 Issue
Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories
Is Cold-Water Swimming Good for You?
Though sometimes overstated, the benefits of cold-water swimming are slowly becoming clearer
Humans Are Driving a New Kind of Evolution in Animals
Anthropogenic evolution is affecting species across the planet
Grizzly Bears Will Finally Return to Washington State. Humans Aren’t Sure How to Greet Them
After decades of debate, grizzlies will be reintroduced to the North Cascades