Biographical Data

National Aeronautics and
Space
Administration

Lyndon B.
Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas 77058

Richard O. Covey (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)
NASA
Astronaut (former)

PERSONAL DATA: Born August 1, 1946, in
Fayetteville, Arkansas, but considers Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to be his
hometown. Married to the former Kathleen Allbaugh of Emmettsburg, Iowa. They
have two grown daughters. Recreational interests include golf, water sports,
photography, skiing, and volleyball.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Choctawhatchee High
School, Shalimar, Florida, in 1964; received a bachelor of science in
engineering sciences with a major in astronautical engineering from the United
States Air Force Academy in 1968, and a master of science in aeronautics and
astronautics from Purdue University in 1969.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Air Force Association, the Order
of Daedalians, the USAF Academy Association of Graduates, the Society of
Experimental Test Pilots, and the Association of Space Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Department of
Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Department of Defense Superior Service
Medal, 5 Air Force Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals, the Air Force
Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the National
Intelligence Medal of Achievement, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the
NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 4 NASA Space Flight Medals, the Johnson Space
Center Certificate of Commendation, the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics Haley Space Flight Award for 1988, and the American Astronautical
Society Flight Achievement Award for 1988. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the
U.S. Air Force Academy, received the Liethen-Tittle Award as the Outstanding
Graduate of USAF Test Pilot School Class 74B, and is a Distinguished Astronaut
Engineering Alumnus of Purdue University.

EXPERIENCE: Between 1970 and 1974, Covey was
an operational fighter pilot, flying the F-100, A-37, and A-7D. He flew 339
combat missions during two tours in Southeast Asia. At Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida, between 1975 and 1978, he was an F-4 and A-7D weapons system test pilot
and joint test force director for electronic warfare testing of the F-15 Eagle.
He has flown over 5,700 hours in more than 30 different types of aircraft.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978,
Covey became an astronaut in August 1979. A veteran of four space flights, STS
51-I in 1985, STS-26 in 1988, STS-38 in 1990, and STS-61 in 1993, Covey has
logged over 646 hours in space.

Prior to the first flight of the Space Shuttle, he provided
astronaut support in Orbiter engineering development and testing. He was a T-38
chase pilot for the second and third Shuttle flights and support crewman for the
first operational Shuttle flight, STS-5. Covey also served as Mission Control
spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for Shuttle Missions STS-5, 6, 61-B, 61-C, and
51-L. During 1989, he was Chairman of NASA’s Space Flight Safety Panel. He has
held additional technical assignments within the Astronaut Office, and has also
served as Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, and Acting Deputy
Director of Flight Crew Operations.

Effective August 1, 1994, Covey retired from NASA and the Air
Force.

Covey currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer for United Space Alliance. He joined USA in February 2006
after serving as President of Boeing Service Company in Colorado Springs,
Colorado. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing system engineering,
facility/system maintenance and operations, spacecraft operations support, and
logistics support to Department of Defense, other U.S. government, and
commercial businesses at over 20 locations worldwide. Before moving to Boeing
Service Company, he was vice president of Boeing Houston Operations responsible
for business development, program management and support for Boeing programs in
Houston. Covey joined The Boeing Company as division director for McDonnell
Douglas’ Houston Operations in 1996.

From 2003 to 2005, Covey also provided critical leadership
during the exhaustive independent assessment of NASA’s actions in response to
the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations as co-chairman of the
Return-to-Flight Task Group.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: On his first
mission, Covey was the pilot on the five-man crew of STS 51-I, which launched
from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 27, 1985. During this seven-day
mission, crew members deployed three communications satellites: the Navy SYNCOM
IV-4, the Australian AUSSAT, and American Satellite Company’s ASC-1. The crew
also performed the successful on-orbit rendezvous and repair of the ailing
15,000-pound SYNCOM IV-3 satellite. This repair activity involved the first
manual grapple and manual deployment of a satellite by a spacewalking crew
member. Mission duration was 170 hours. Space Shuttle Discovery
completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base,
California, on September 3, 1985.

He next served as pilot on STS-26, the first flight to be
flown after the Challenger accident. The five-man crew launched from
the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 29, 1988, aboard the Space
Shuttle Discovery. Mission duration was 97 hours during which crew
members successfully deployed the TDRS-C satellite and operated eleven secondary
payloads which included two student experiments. Discovery completed 64
orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on
October 3, 1988.

On STS-38 Covey was the spacecraft commander of a five-man
crew which launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November
15, 1990. During the five-day mission crew members conducted Department of
Defense operations. After 80 orbits of the Earth in 117 hours, Covey piloted the
Space Shuttle Atlantis to a landing on the runway at the Kennedy Space
Center on November 20, 1990. This was the first Shuttle recovery in Florida
since 1985.

On his fourth flight, Covey commanded a crew of seven aboard
the Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-61 Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
servicing and repair mission. STS-61 launched at night from the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida, on December 2, 1993. During the 11-day flight, the HST was
captured and restored to full capacity through a record five space walks by four
astronauts. After having traveled 4,433,772 miles in 163 orbits of the Earth,
Covey landed the Endeavour at night on the runway at the Kennedy Space
Center on December 13, 1993.

FEBRUARY 2006

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sought direct from the above named individual.