- Craig E. Steidle
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Craig E. Steidle 
Service/branch Navy (Ret.) Rank 
Rear AdmiralAwards Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Meritorious Service Medal with gold star
Air Medals with bronze star
Navy Commendation Medal[1]Admiral Craig E. Steidle, USN, Ret., served as the first Associate Administrator of the Office of Exploration Systems at NASA (now known as the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate), an organization formed to implement NASA's human exploration of the solar system as announced in the Vision for Space Exploration. Admiral Steidle also served as Program Manager of the Joint Strike Fighter Program.[2] He is currently serving as a Visiting Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.[3]
During his tenure with the United States Navy, Admiral Steidle became most well known for his prominent role as Program Manager of the Joint Strike Fighter where he managed the "fly off" between the X-32 and the X-35 to determine what design would ultimately become the F-35 Lightning II. Admiral Steidle also commanded the Navy’s F/A-18 program, the naval aviation’s largest production research and development program, as well as the largest foreign military sales program.[4]
Contents
Admiral Steidle joined the Navy after he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1968.[4] In the Navy, he trained to become an attack pilot and flew carrier night combat missions in North Vietnam. In the 1980s he deployed on carriers, frigates, and cruisers in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.[5] Steidle went on to command the Navy’s F/A-18 program, and then became the Director of the DOD Joint Advanced Strike Technology Office.[1] The admiral opted to retire from the Navy in March 2000.[4]
After retiring from the Navy, Craig Steidle worked as a self-employed aerospace consultant.[2] In January 2004, Adm. Steidle accepted a position as associate administrator of the Office of Exploration Systems at NASA.[4] The purpose of the Office of Exploration Systems was to design, develop, and produce the new architecture and vehicles to send the United States beyond Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s.[1] The Centennial Challenges prize program was also implemented by the Office of Exploration Systems during this time.[6] The office was renamed the Exploration Systems Directorate in an August 2004 restructuring.[1] Admiral Steidle officially resigned from the position of associate administrator for exploration systems in June 2005.[7] He is currently serving as a Visiting Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy.[3]
Education
Craig Steidle grew up on Long Island, N.Y. and attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he graduated with merit in 1968.[5] Later, Steidle went to the University of Southern California and earned a Master of Science degree in systems management.[4] He also attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where he earned a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering.[1]
Personal
Craig Steidle's son, Captain Brian Steidle, USMC, Ret. served as a peace monitor in Darfur during the Darfur Conflict and wrote a book about his experience, The Devil Came on Horseback, which was turned into a documentary film of the same name that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
References
- ^ a b c d e "NASA - Rear Adm. Craig E. Steidle, USN (Ret.)". NASA. May 20, 2004. http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/Steidle_biography.html. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ a b "Who's Who at NASA - Craig E. Steidle". NASA Tech Briefs. July 2004. http://nasatechbriefs.com/NEWS/July04/who_0704.html. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ a b "USNA - Aerospace Engineering - Faculty". US Naval Academy. March 15, 2011. http://www.usna.edu/AeroDept/faculty.php/Faculty.htm. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Sietzen, Frank (February 2005). "With Adm. Craig E. Steidle". Aerospace America. http://www.aiaa.org/aerospace/images/articleimages/pdf/conversfebruary05.pdf. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ a b Gugliotta, Guy (December 15, 2004). "NASA's Future Is Rising From 'the Swamp'". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64600-2004Dec14.html. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ Berger, Brian (July 25, 2004). "Financial Request for NASA's Centennial Challenge Goes Back to Congress". Space.com. http://www.space.com/186-financial-request-nasa-centennial-challenge-congress.html. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ "NASA Exploration Systems Associate Administrator Craig Steidle Officially Resigns". Space Ref. June 13, 2005. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=17099. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
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