Education
Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Cain earned a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, in 1988.
Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Cain earned a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, in 1988.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
In this role, his responsibilities include, but are not limited to, staffing a team to assess all three major ESD programs (Space Launch Systems, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle/Orion, and Ground Systems Design Operations) and providing guidance for integrating these programs by ESD. He serves as the Chair for an integrated review team for all three major programs to establish review milestones and reports these findings to program, center, mission directorate, and Agency leadership, as well as outside entities to include the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Congress, as necessary. Cain served as the Deputy Manager, Space Shuttle Program (SSP), from March 2008 through the completion of the Program. In this position, Cain shared responsibility with the Program Manager for the overall management, integration, and operations of the SSP from National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Johnson Space Center (Joint-stock company) in Houston, Texas.
He also served as Chairman of the Mission Management Team for all Space Shuttle missions.
Previously, Cain held the position of Manager, Launch Integration, at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, from November 2005 until July 2008. As head of the SSP at KSC, he was responsible for all program operations at KSC and all launch integration requirements for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
In this role Cain also served as the Chairman of the MMT for Space Shuttle prelaunch and launch activities. In March 2011, Cain also began serving as the Deputy Chair for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mishap Investigation Board for the Taurus Extra Large T9 Glory mishap investigation.
Prior to joining the SSP, Cain served as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Flight Director in the Mission Operations Directorate.
Selected in the Class of 1998, Cain supported numerous Space Shuttle missions in all phases of flight. He served as the Ascent Flight Director for six missions, and Entry Flight Director for eight missions, including the STS-114 Return-To-Flight mission in July 2005. Cain was the entry flight director for STS-107, the mission that ended in the catastrophic disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia, 1 February 2003.
Cain ordered the ominous "Lock the doors", initiating contingency procedures in mission control for the first time since the Challenger disaster 17 years before.
Cain began working in the space industry in 1988 as a Guidance and Control systems engineer at Joint-stock company. He was a flight controller in the Mission Control Center for the Space Shuttle Guidance and Control Systems. Cain held progressively more responsible technical, management, and leadership positions within Mission Operations from 1988 until 2005, when he entered the SSP Office.