Press Release

NASA Senior Associate Deputy Administrator Daniel R. Mulville to Retire

By SpaceRef Editor
December 17, 2002
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Associate Deputy Administrator, Dr. Daniel R. Mulville,
is retiring after more than 16 years at NASA Headquarters.
Mulville served as one of the most senior advisors to NASA
Administrator Sean O’Keefe, and he was responsible for
planning, directing and managing the daily operations and
transformation activities of the agency.

“Dan was the cornerstone of our efforts to move NASA forward
into a new era of science and exploration,” Administrator
O’Keefe said. “His vision, expertise, experience and
extensive management skills helped shape our new Integrated
Space Transportation Plan. He is one of the true architects
of NASA’s future. His legacy is the future accomplishments of
NASA. We will miss him, and we wish him well,” he said.

Mulville’s retirement is effective Feb. 3, 2003. He became
NASA’s Associate Deputy Administrator in 1999. He served as
NASA’s Acting Administrator from Nov. 19 to Dec. 21, 2001,
and directed NASA’s daily operations pending confirmation of
Administrator O’Keefe by the U.S. Senate.

Prior to his assignment as Associate Deputy Administrator,
Mulville served as NASA’s Chief Engineer from 1995 to 1999.
He was responsible for review of the technical readiness and
execution of NASA programs and provided an integrated focus
for agency wide engineering policies, standards, and
practices. From 1994 to 1995, Mulville was
NASA’s Deputy Chief Engineer and was responsible for ensuring
development efforts and mission operations were conducted on
a sound engineering basis.

Mulville was NASA’s Director of the Engineering and Quality
Management Division in the Office of Safety and Mission
Assurance from 1990 to 1994. He was responsible for
engineering, quality assurance standards and procedures
related to design and development of spacecraft and
aeronautics systems.

From 1986 to 1990, Mulville was Deputy Director of the
Materials and Structures Division in the Office of
Aeronautics and Space Technology. He managed the Advanced
Composite Technology Program, the Control of Flexible
Structures Program, materials and structures elements of the
Advanced Launch Systems, Space Exploration
Initiative, and High Speed Civil Transport programs. Mulville
also directed the agency’s participation in the joint
NASA/FAA Aging Aircraft Program.

Prior to his employment with NASA, Mulville served as the
Structures Technology Manager at the Naval Air Systems
Command from 1979 to 1986. He led the development of
structural design, test, and certification methods, and he
was the program manager for development of composites for
advanced aircraft and missile programs. He served as a
program manager for Structures Research at the Office of
Naval Research in 1975 and was a mechanical engineer at the
Naval Research Laboratory from 1962 to 1979.

Mulville was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal,
the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA
Exceptional Service Medal. He received the Meritorious and
Distinguished Executive Rank Awards for management and
leadership.

He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering
in 1962 and a master’s degree in engineering in 1966 from the
George Washington University, located in Washington. He
received his Ph.D. in structural mechanics from Catholic
University in 1974. He attended the Industrial College of the
Armed Forces in 1986.

SpaceRef staff editor.