David A. King (engineer)
{{Short description|American mechanical and aerospace engineer (born 1961/1962)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David A. King
| image = David Arnold King NASA portrait (3x4 cropped).jpg
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| caption = NASA portrait of King
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|50|2012|8|23}}
| birth_place = Indiana, U.S.{{cite web| url= http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/NAF/KingDA/KingDA_5-4-07.htm| website= NASA.gov| url-status= unfit| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120216085933/http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/NAF/KingDA/KingDA_5-4-07.htm| archivedate= February 16, 2012| title= NASA at 50 Oral History Project| first= David A.| last= King| format= Edited Oral History Transcript| interviewer= Rebecca Wright| place= Huntsville, Alabama |date= 4 May 2007| access-date= February 16, 2021}}
| death_date =
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| education = Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at University of South Carolina, Master's degree in business administration at Florida Institute of Technology
| occupation = CEO at Dynetics, Inc.
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David Arnold King is an American engineer who was the tenth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Early life, family and education
King was born in Indiana and raised in Sumter, South Carolina.
He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina, and in 1991 a master's degree in business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.{{cite press release| url= http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2005/05-133.html |title= NASA'S Marshall Center Director David King Receives Presidential Rank Award - Nation's Highest Honor for Federal Service| date= | website= NASA.gov| access-date= February 16, 2021}}
Career
King joined NASA in 1983 as a main propulsion system engineer. In subsequent roles, he also served as vehicle manager and flow director (1992–1996) for the Space Shuttle Discovery, overseeing preflight preparation, test and checkout of the orbiter.{{cite press release| url= http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/1992/65-92_prt.htm| title= KSC Names David King as Shuttle Discovery's Flow Director| date= June 9, 1992| website= NASA.gov| access-date= February 16, 2021| archive-date= September 27, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160927080743/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/1992/65-92_prt.htm| url-status= dead}}{{cite press release |url= http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/release/1996/120-96.htm |title= Scott Cilento Selected as Shuttle Discovery Flow Director| date= October 7, 1996 | website= NASA.gov |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130221130111/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/release/1996/120-96.htm |archivedate=2013-02-21 | access-date= February 16, 2021}} He was appointed acting deputy director of the Installation Operations Directorate in 1995; deputy director of Shuttle Processing in 1996; Shuttle launch director in 1997; and director of Shuttle Processing in 1999.
King served as deputy director of the Marshall Space Flight Center from November 2002 until his appointment as director, and served as the senior on-site NASA official during recovery operations for the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
He was appointed to the director position on June 15, 2003. He retired from NASA on March 26, 2009.{{cite press release| url= http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/mar/HQ_09-071_MSFC_King_Retires.html| title= King Retires as Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center| website= NASA.gov| publisher= | date= March 26, 2009| access-date= February 16, 2021| archive-date= March 4, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090232/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/mar/HQ_09-071_MSFC_King_Retires.html| url-status= dead}}
Soon thereafter, King started in the position of Executive Vice President at Dynetics, Inc., a Huntsville-based defense contractor. He was promoted to President in 2013 and then to CEO in 2015.
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929232324/http://bios.msfc.nasa.gov/d_king.html Biography] at NASA.gov (archived)
- [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pasa/is_200305/ai_2768096100 David A. King Named Marshall Space Flight Center Director]
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Category:21st-century American engineers
Category:Florida Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Directors of the Marshall Space Flight Center
Category:University of South Carolina alumni
Category:People from Sumter, South Carolina
Category:Year of birth uncertain
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