from a speech when he was assistant secretary of the navy at the naval war college in 1897

He worked in senior level positions at the Johnson Space Center and John C. While at NASA, he retired from the Marine Corps. While he was a candidate, the Challenger explosion happened, delaying his chance to go to space. It also took him two tries, but he was selected to be an astronaut candidate. Then he applied for the astronaut program. He didn’t make it into the program on his first try, so he applied again. But he wanted to continue using the math and engineering he learned at the academy and his flying experience, so he applied to be a test pilot. After three years, and good eye tests, Cabana finally was able to go to flight school. His eyes had other plans, and Cabana became a Naval flight officer in the Marine Corps after flunking his eye exam. Robert Cabana is one of four Naval Academy graduates to be honored Thursday.- Original Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) (USNA Alumni Association / HANDOUT)Ĭabana, who now serves as the associate administrator for NASA, did not plan to be an astronaut while attending the academy. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)User Upload Caption: Retired Col. “It meant an awful lot.”īob Cabana, Official Portrait, Monday, June 28, 2021, NASA Headquarters Mary W. “So to be able to be part of the crew that actually activated the space station, laid the foundation and were the first ones to enter it, that was a unique historical experience,” Cabana said.

His last flight led him to be one of the first people to enter the International Space Station. He commanded Space Shuttle missions Endeavor STS-88, as well as Columbia STS-65 and piloted Discovery STS-53 and STS-41.

Robert Cabana has been to space, not once but four times. “I’m 82 years old, but I don’t think I’m ever going to retire,” Straw said. He currently serves as the founder and managing director of Osprey Venture Partners. “I kept staying, kept staying, kept staying, and all of a sudden, my goal of doing my four years to get out and seek my fortune lasted 35 years,” he said.Īfter retiring from the Navy, Straw worked as the president of Ryder Integrated Logistics, senior vice president of the Compaq Computer Corporation and president of global operations of The Estee Lauder Companies.

From a speech when he was assistant secretary of the navy at the naval war college in 1897