James Alan Abrahamson | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Gen Abe |
Born | Williston, North Dakota, U.S. | May 19, 1933
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1955–1989 |
Rank | Lieutenant general |
Commands | Strategic Defense Initiative 4950th Test Wing |
Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
Awards |
|
Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) University of Oklahoma (MS) |
Space career | |
USAF astronaut | |
Selection | 1967 USAF MOL Group 3 |
Missions | None |
James Alan Abrahamson (born May 19, 1933) is a retired U.S. Air Force general who served as a designated astronaut, associate director of NASA and former director of President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative from 1984 until 1989. He is a businessman who served as chairman of the board of GeoEye, a company he helped to transform into the world's largest space imaging corporation and that merged with DigitalGlobe Inc in January 2013. Previously, he served as chairman of Oracle Corporation's board of directors from 1992 until 1995.