Mr. Cooke is currently the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Missions Directorate at NASA headquarters. He leads in the Systems Integration management of this new activity, bringing to bear his over 30 years of experience in the Space Shuttle and Space Station Programs, as well as all major Exploration planning activities. He has been assigned significant responsibilities during critical period of each of these programs.

Mr. Cooke\’s first major challenge began in 1975 when he was tasked with defining and implementing an entry aerodynamic flight test program for the Space Shuttle. This program was successfully implemented during the Approach and Landing Tests in 1977, and early orbital flights of the Space Shuttle beginning in 1981.

Mr. Cooke was asked to lead the Analysis Office when the Space Station Program was first organized in 1984, and led the definition of the Space Station configuration and many of its technical attributes.

Following the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1987, Mr. Cooke was assigned to the Space Shuttle Program Office. As Deputy Manager of the NSTS Engineering Integration Office, he helped lead a Civil Service and contractor team to provide integration of the activity that resulted in the return of the Space Shuttle to flight on September 29, 1988.

Mr. Cooke has played a pivotal role in planning for future space exploration beginning in 1989. He helped to lead a NASA team that produced the 90 Day Study on lunar and Mars exploration. Mr. Cooke was subsequently assigned to the Synthesis Group led by Lt. General Tom Stafford. The team produced a report to the White House entitled \’America at the Threshold: America\’s Space Exploration Initiative.\’ Mr. Cooke was selected to be the Manager of the Exploration Programs Office, where he initiated and led NASA agency-wide studies for the human return to the Moon, and exploration of Mars.

In March of 1993, Mr. Cooke was assigned the responsibility of leading the engineering of the redesign of Space Station Freedom. He was subsequently chosen to serve in the Space Station Program Office as Vehicle Manager, leading and managing the hardware development and systems engineering and integration for the International Space Station. From April to December of 1996, Mr. Cooke served as Deputy Program Manager of the Space Station Program.

In 1996, Mr. Cooke was asked to lead the Exploration Office and the agency activities in Human Exploration beyond low Earth Orbit. Mr. Cooke was detailed to NASA headquarters as the Office of Space Flight representative to the Office of Space Science Mars Program, and again as Technical Lead for the NASA Space Architect.

Mr. Cooke served as NASA technical advisor to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board from the time of the accident to the publishing of the report.