NASA Appoints CONTOUR Mission Investigation Team

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe today announced that Chief Engineer Theron M. Bradley Jr. would lead a team to investigate the apparent loss of the CONTOUR mission space probe. The investigation team will ndependently examine all aspects of the CONTOUR mission, which has been out of contact with controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel, Md., since a scheduled engine firing Aug. 15.

In May, Bradley joined the agency as Chief Engineer to provide independent technical review of NASA's programs and projects. He's a distinguished U.S. Navy engineer who was instrumental in the initial design of the nuclear propulsion plant for Nimitz class aircraft carriers and the advanced reactor design for Los Angeles class submarines. Bradley also served as a civilian with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense in numerous leadership and management positions.

For the complete article on the CONTOUR investigation team, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/h02-161.htm