This article is more than 1 year old

John Grunsfeld retiring from NASA, again

The head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate who oversaw the successful Curiosity mission to Mars, John Grunsfeld, has retired from the agency.

Grunsfeld joined NASA as an astronaut in 1992 and spent over 58 days in space helping to build the International Space Station and performing the final upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope. He retired from NASA in 2009, but came back three years later to oversee the mission to Mars by the Curiosity rover.

"John leaves an extraordinary legacy of success that will forever remain a part of our nation's historic science and exploration achievements," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.

"Widely known as the 'Hubble Repairman,' it was an honor to serve with him in the astronaut corps and watch him lead NASA's science portfolio during a time of remarkable discovery. These are discoveries that have rewritten science textbooks and inspired the next generation of space explorers."

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news