LeRoy E. Cain

Cain may be best known to the public from footage and documentaries showing his work as the entry flight director for STS-107, the mission that ended in the catastrophic disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia, February 1, 2003.Cain issued the famous "Lock the doors" command,[1] initiating contingency procedures in mission control for the first time since the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 17 years earlier.As of September 2015, Cain was serving as the Chair of the Exploration Systems Development (ESD) Standing Review Board, reporting directly to the Associate Administrator for HEOMD at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as the entire Agency leadership staff.Previously, Cain held the position of Manager, Launch Integration, at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, from November 2005 until July 2008.Cain held progressively more responsible technical, management, and leadership positions within Mission Operations from 1988 until 2005, when he entered the SSP Office.
Dubuque, IowaIowa State UniversitySTS-107Space Shuttle ColumbiaSpace Shuttle Challenger disasterAerospace EngineeringAmes, IowaHouston, TexasFloridaC-SPANPolicycreationNational Aeronautics and Space ActSpace Task GroupRogersSpace Exploration InitiativeAugustineCFUSAIVision for Space ExplorationAldridgeSpace RaceAdministrator and Deputy AdministratorChief ScientistAstronaut CorpsRanks and positionsBudgetNASA researchspinoff technologiesNASA TVNASA SocialLaunch Services ProgramMercury Control CenterManned Space Flight NetworkKennedy Space CenterVehicle Assembly BuildingLaunch Complex 39Launch Complex 48Launch Control CenterOperations and Checkout BuildingJohnson Space CenterMission ControlLunar Sample LaboratoryScience Mission DirectorateHuman spaceflightsuborbitalMercuryGeminiApolloSkylabApollo–SoyuzSoviet space programSpace ShuttleShuttle–MirRoscosmosConstellationInternational Space StationCommercial Orbital Transportation ServicesCommercial CrewArtemisLunar GatewayRoboticHitchhikerMarinerMariner Mark IIMars Surveyor '98New MillenniumLunar OrbiterPioneerPlanetary ObserverRangerSurveyorVikingProject PrometheusMars ExplorationMars Exploration RoverLiving With a StarLunar Precursor Robotic ProgramEarth Observing SystemGreat Observatories programExplorersVoyagerDiscoveryNew FrontiersSolar Terrestrial ProbesCommercial Lunar Payload ServicesSIMPLExmissionsApollo 11Mercury 3Mercury-Atlas 6MagellanPioneer 10Pioneer 11GalileotimelineSpitzer Space TelescopeSojourner roverSpirit roverMESSENGERAquariusCassiniKepler space telescopeOpportunity roverobservedRHESSIInSightIngenuity helicopterflightsMars Reconnaissance Orbiter2001 Mars OdysseyNew HorizonsHubble Space TelescopeTHEMISCuriosity roverGOES 14Lunar Reconnaissance OrbiterGOES 15Van Allen ProbesSolar Dynamics ObservatoryMars Science LaboratoryNuSTARVoyager 1Voyager 2OSIRIS-RExTransiting Exoplanet Survey SatelliteMars 2020Perseverance roverJames Webb Space TelescopeEuropa ClipperNancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeDAVINCIVERITASCommunicationsand navigationNear Earth NetworkSpace NetworkDeep Space NetworkGoldstoneMadridCanberraSpace Flight Operations FacilityDeep Space Atomic ClockAstronautsby nameby yearGemini astronautsApollo astronautsSpace Shuttle crewsNASA aircraftNASA missionsuncrewed missionsApollo missionsSpace Shuttle missionsUnited States rocketsNASA cancellationsNASA cameras on spacecraftEarthriseThe Blue MarbleFamily PortraitPale Blue DotPillars of CreationMystic MountainSolar System Family PortraitThe Day the Earth SmiledFallen AstronautDeep fieldsLunar plaquesPioneer plaquesVoyager Golden RecordApollo 11 goodwill messagesNASA insigniaGemini and Apollo medallionsMission patchesHubble Space Telescope anniversary imagesWe choose to go to the MoonApollo 8 Genesis readingApollo 15 postal covers incidentApollo Lunar ModuleSpace Mirror MemorialThe Astronaut MonumentLunar sample displaysMoon rocksstolen or missingU.S. Astronaut Hall of FameSpace program on U.S. stampsApollo 17 Moon miceMoon treeNASA International Space Apps ChallengeAstronauts DayNational Astronaut DayNikon NASA F4