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Charles R. (Chuck) Knarr

Vice President, Flight Operations

Charles R. (Chuck) Knarr is Vice President, Flight Operations of United Space Alliance, LLC. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations and overall management of the USA Flight Operations organization, which provides direct mission planning, training and real time mission support to the NASA Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) and Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

Knarr, a former NASA flight director, was named to this position in October 2006. He previously served as USA’s Association Program Manager (APM) for Flight Operations beginning in March 2002.

A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Knarr was assigned to the Johnson Space Center in 1980 while still on active duty. He worked in the Flight Activities Branch of MOD in various positions including timeliner and flight activities officer (FAO). Selected as a flight director in 1983, Knarr moved to that office in 1984 after completing an assignment as lead FAO for STS-41C, the Solar Max satellite repair mission. As a flight director, he supported numerous missions starting with STS-51G. He retired from the Air Force in 1988 and accepted a civil service position as a NASA flight director. He served as lead flight director for the STS-28 and STS-38 missions before leaving NASA to join Rockwell Space Operations Company (RSOC) in 1990.

Prior to his selection as APM, Knarr served in positions of increasing responsibility within RSOC and USA. His first assignment was in the Flight Design and Dynamics (FDD) department as a project manager. From there, he moved to the Ascent Flight Design Branch as manager and was next selected as FDD department director. He left the department to take a position as Director, Mission Operations, where he served until his selection as Deputy APM in 1998.

Knarr received his Air Force commission in 1968 and spent the next seven years in missile launch operations as a combat crew commander, crew instructor and member of the wing staff. He next served four years at Air University as an instructor and standardization/evaluation officer at the Squadron Officer School. In 1980, he was transferred to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he served until his retirement.

Knarr earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Philadelphia University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Utah. He also graduated from numerous Air Force professional schools including Academic Instructor School, Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College. He received the National Management Association Silver Knight of Management Award in 2003 and the Gold Knight of Leadership Award in 2006.

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