Mark J. Albrecht is an American aerospace and telecommunications executive. He is credited in government with reform of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

and implementation of the "faster, cheaper, better" approach to space development and in the space launch business is credited for inventing and implementing the concept of "mutual backup" that revolutionized commercial space launch.

Early life and education

Albrecht was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. He completed his BA and MA from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

(

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

) and PhD from the

Pardee RAND Graduate School The RAND School of Public Policy (formerly the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School) is a private graduate school associated with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. The school offers doctoral studies in policy analysis and pra ...

Career

Albrecht was the Legislative Assistant for National Security Affairs to United States Senator

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

of California from 1983–1989. He was the executive secretary of the National Space Council from 1989–1992 and was the principal advisor to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

on space. He was a senior executive at SAIC from 1992–1997 and was President of

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

's International Launch Services from 1999–2006. Albrecht is the author of best selling Falling Back To Earth : A Firsthand Account Of The Great Space Race And The End Of The Cold War. Albrecht has collaborated to

Project 2025 Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) is a political initiative to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies. The plan was published in ...

; he is listed among the contributors.

Awards

Albrecht was awarded the

NASA Distinguished Service Medal The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The medal may be presented to any member of the federal government, including both milita ...

and the DOD distinguished civilian service medal and is the recipient of the Space Pioneer award of the

National Space Society The National Space Society (NSS) is an American international nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. It is a member of the Independent Charities of America and an annual participant in the Co ...

Personal life

He has three children, one of them is Alexander "Alex" Albrecht.

References

External links

Appointment of Mark Albrecht as Director of the National Space Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albrecht, Mark J. 1950 births Living people Businesspeople from St. Louis University of California, Los Angeles alumni