Stephen Koerner, former director of Flight Operations Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center, was tapped to serve as the research institute's deputy director and help oversee human spaceflight activities at the space agency's Houston, Texas installation.
NASA said Monday Koerner will be responsible for assisting JSC Director Vanessa Wyche in managing the center, which houses the U.S. astronaut corps, Mission Control Center, International Space Station, Orion and Gateway programs and over 10,000 civil service and contractor employees.
"Steve's fingerprints on human spaceflight go back almost three decades, and his experience and knowledge base make him a natural choice for the position," Wyche noted.
Koerner joined the center in 1992. Since then, he has held several senior executive roles at JSC, including as deputy director of flight and mission operations, chief financial officer and associate director.
In his most recent role, Koerner led efforts in planning, training and launching human space flight and aviation missions. As Flight Operations Directorate lead, he also supervised the Astronaut Office, the Flight Director Office, the Mission Control Center, human spaceflight training facilities and JSC’s Aviation Operations Division.