Judith Neuffer
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Judith Ann Neuffer | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Judy |
Born | June 13, 1948 Wooster, Ohio |
Died | December 13, 2022 (aged 74) Annapolis, Maryland |
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | American |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1973-1998 |
Rank | Captain |
Awards | Naval Awards include 4 Naval Meritorious Service Medals and the Navy Commendation Medal. NASA Medals include the Exceptional Service Medal, Exceptional Achievement Medal, the Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA Outstanding Management Award. |
Other work | Senior Technical Manager, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
Judith "Judy" Neuffer Bruner (born Judith Ann Neuffer; June 13, 1948 - December 13, 2022) was an American
Overview
Bruner was the first woman to serve as a P-3 pilot in the United States Navy.[1] She was part of the first group of women to receive orders for Navy Flight Training in 1973 and was first to earn her pilot's wings. She served as a senior manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she led numerous large programs.[2]
Early life and education
Judith Neuffer was born on June 13, 1948, in
Military career
The
Bruner served a total of 28 years in the US Navy. During her 10 years on active duty, she conducted flying assignments and a tour at The US Pentagon. She then transferred to the Naval Reserve. For the remainder of her career, she held three Commanding Officer positions and also served as the Director of the Navy's Science and Technology Reserve Program. She retired from the US Navy in 1998 having attained the rank of captain.[3]
Aerospace career
Bruner began her career with NASA in 1981, working first as a contractor for UNISYS Corporation as a Senior Systems Analyst on the Hubble Space Telescope mission. She formally joined NASA in 1989, working for two years as the ground system Implementation Manager on the Earth Observing System satellite missions. She was then selected to head the Spacecraft Control Center Branch. In this capacity, she was assigned the responsibility for the development and implementation of all satellite control centers for missions at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. Bruner concurrently earned her M.S. Degree from the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1995.
In 1997, she was assigned to Goddard Space Flight Center's Directors Staff, serving in various capacities, including Acting Director of NASA's IV & V facility in West Virginia, and Program Manager for the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission. When the Space Shuttle Columbia accident occurred in February 2003, Bruner served as the GSFC point of contact for the investigation. She was also the focal point of GSFC's support of NASA's subsequent Return to Flight. Bruner was the Director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Awards
Bruner received several Navy awards, including four
During her tenure at NASA, she received the Exceptional Service Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, the Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the Outstanding Management Award.
In 2014, she received the
Personal life
Bruner married Clarence Thomas Bruner and had two step-children.[3]
Death
Bruner died on December 13, 2022, in Annapolis, Maryland.[3]
See also
- United States Navy
- Naval Aviation
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
References
- ^ America's Navy
- ^ "Women@NASA » Judith Bruner". Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary for Judith Neuffer Bruner at Wm. Reese & Sons Mortuary P.A." www.wmreeseandsons.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ Women in the US Navy: "Ladies Wear The Blue" 1974 US Navy
- ^ NASA Official website
- ^ Sea Technology website
Sources
- Pexton, Patrick. New Captains Have Flown Against Tradition. Navy Times 42:4 Apr 5 '93.
- Helen F. Collins (July 1977). "Women in Naval Aviation: From Plane Captains to Pilots" (PDF). Naval Aviation News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-21.
- Sandy Russell (February 1981). "High Flying Ladies" (PDF). Naval Aviation News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-11-04.
- Grossnick, Roy A. (1997). United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995. ISBN 0-945274-34-3.
- Holden, Henry M. with Captain Lori Griffith (1991). Ladybirds - The Untold Story of Women Pilots in America. Mt. Freedom, NJ: Black Hawk Publishing Co. ISBN 978-1-879630-11-6.
External links
- "The Ninety-Nines from 1929 to 1989". The Ninety-Nines. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- "SAMPLE Weekly Ocean News WEEK ONE: 1-5 September 2014". AMS (American Meteorological Society). Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- Women in the US Navy: "Ladies Wear The Blue" 1974 US Navy ("...first woman admitted to the Naval Flight Training Program.")
- Judith Bruner Women@NASA 2014 (interview, published to YouTube on Dec 2, 2014)