Joseph P. Allen

Current Position on NOLS Board of Trustees: Vice Chair
Elected to NOLS Board of Trustees: 2002

Joe, a NOLS parent and former astronaut, holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from Yale University, and an undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics from DePauw University.

In 1967, NASA selected Allen as a member of its class of Scientist-Astronauts, a position he held until 1985. While at NASA, Dr. Allen served as a mission controller for Apollo 15, Apollo 17 and Space Shuttle flight STS-1. He later flew as an astronaut aboard STS-5, the first mission space shuttle to carry cargo to orbit, and then aboard STS-14, the only mission to date to salvage cargo from orbit.

During his NASA career, Dr. Allen also served as assistant administrator of the agency from 1975-1978 and as director of astronaut training and operations in the early 1980s. He is the author of Entering Space: An Astronaut’s Odyssey, a personal account of the space flight experience, and he has published widely in the fields of physics and space research.

Currently at Argotyche, Inc., Dr. Allen has served as chair of the Board of Veridian Corporation, an advanced information technology company specializing in decision support and knowledge management, information systems and communications, modeling and simulation, systems integration, and engineering and analysis.

Dr. Allen has also served as a guest research associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, then as a member of the physics faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. In addition to his responsibilities with Argotyche, Inc., Dr. Allen serves as director of United Space Alliance, Houston, Texas; director of Actioneer, Inc., Boston, MA; and as the chair of the Challenger Center, a charitable organization sponsoring Space Science Education projects in North America and England.

A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Allen’s awards include the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Wilber Cross Medal from Yale University, and the Lloyd’s of London Silver Medal for Meritorious Services. He is also an inductee into the U. S. National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK.