Augustine, Norman

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Augustine, Norman

Space Industry Leader 1935-

Norman R. Augustine was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lockheed Martin Corporation prior to his retirement in 1997. Augustine was undersecretary of the army in the administration of President Gerald R. Ford in 1975, having previously served as assistant secretary of the army for President Richard M. Nixon in 1973. Augustine held a variety of engineering assignments during his career. In 1958, following his graduation from Princeton University with both bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, Augustine joined Douglas Aircraft Company as program manager and chief engineer. In 1965 he was appointed assistant director for defense research and engineering in the Office of Secretary of Defense and then was named vice president for advanced programs and marketing for LTV Missiles and Space Company.

After joining Martin Marietta Corporation in 1977, Augustine was promoted to CEO and then chairman in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Following the formation of Lockheed Martin from the 1995 merger of Martin Marietta and Lockheed Corporation, he initially served as Lockheed Martin's president before becoming CEO and chairman in 1996.

In 1990 Augustine played a major role in defining the issues facing the U.S. space industry as head of President George H. W. Bush's Space Task Force. The group's report called for substantial increases in U.S. space spending, as well as setting new national goals in space exploration. The administration responded to the report in part by announcing a series of advanced space goals. However, funding for the projects was not supported by Congress, and the initiatives were abandoned.

Augustine has written several books, including Augustine's Laws (1990), a humorous chronicle of his experiences in defense contracting. He received the Distinguished Service Medal of the Department of Defense four times, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Exceptional Service medal, and ten honorary degrees.

see also Launch Vehicles, Expendable (volume 1); Market Share (volume 1).

Frank Sietzen, Jr.