Source: U.S. Newswire - Modified by Dan Perkins

Former NASA scientist and space explorer, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, PhD, is the new president and CEO of the Museum of Flight, located in Seattle Washington. She assumed the post October 3, 2005.

The Museum of Flight is not only one of the largest air and space museums in the world, but its collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft.  One of the museum’s most prized items is a structure known as the Red Barn - it’s the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Company.

A central mission of the museum is to contribute to the education of young people.  The museum has the most extensive museum-based youth aviation and space education program in the nation.  Each year, more than 100,000 children are served by the museum’s on-site and outreach educational programs.  Dunbar was selected to lead the museum, in part, because of her strong interest in science, math, engineering and technology education.

Jim Johnson, the museum’s board chairman, noted Dunbar’s commitment to education as he explained the board’s decision.  “Dr. Dunbar was a clear standout in her passionate commitment to youth education, which is so central to our mission,” said Johnson.  “She has a remarkable ability to use her own amazing experiences to inspire youth, and we are excited at the prospect of harnessing her intellect, energy and passion to our important work.”

Dunbar is a native Washingtonian.  She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ceramic engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a doctorate in mechanical/biomedical engineering from the University of Houston.  She held research and engineering positions with the Boeing Co., Harwell Laboratories and Rockwell International before joining NASA in 1978 as a flight controller.  Two years later, in 1980, Dunbar was selected as a NASA mission specialist astronaut.

Many regard Dunbar as an ideal role model for young women interested in science and space exploration.  She is a veteran of five space missions, and has logged more than 50 days in orbit aboard the shuttles Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia and Endeavour.  Dunbar’s most recent spaceflight was in January 1998, aboard Endeavor.  On that mission, she was the payload commander and had responsibility for more than four tons of scientific equipment, supplies and water that were delivered to the Russian space station Mir.  She also oversaw 23 scientific experiments that occurred aboard the shuttle during that mission.

Dunbar is not only a space explorer and scientist, but a true aviation enthusiast.  A licensed private pilot since the 1970s, Dunbar has logged more than 1,000 hours as co-pilot in NASA’s T-38 jets.  She is the proud owner of a 1946 Ercoupe light plane, which she is currently restoring.

Dunbar officially retired from NASA on September 30, 2005, as Associate Director of Technology Integration and Risk Management at the Johnson Space Center’s Space and Life Science Directorate. 

Now, her attention is focused on the Museum, and she has signaled her high expectations for the future.  “The Museum of Flight has established a worldwide reputation for the depth of its commitment to education and the quality of its programs that use the wonder of flight to inspire learning,” said Dunbar.  “I am thrilled about becoming part of such a vibrant organization and look forward to contributing to its future success in preserving and interpreting the glorious past of aviation and space exploration while helping to inspire its even brighter future.”

Dr. Dunbar succeeds Ralph Bufano who led the museum as president and CEO for fourteen years.  The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has been designated Bufano as the Museum’s first “president emeritus.”

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