Peter B. Teets
Director of the National Reconnaissance Office
About Peter B. Teets
Lived 1942 – 2020 (aged 78). Peter B. Teets was an American.
Peter Burritt Teets (February 12, 1942 – November 29, 2020) was the thirteenth Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and the Under Secretary of the Air Force.
Mr. Teets engineered the formation of a comprehensive national security space enterprise, laying the groundwork for the integration of open and classified space activities in support of national security objectives. He commissioned panels on space acquisition policies and space launch initiatives. He greatly improved the acquisition, operation, and effectiveness of national security space capabilities.
Education 1963 Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder
1965 Master of Science degree in applied mathematics, University of Colorado, Denver
1978 Master of Science degree in management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Career Chronology 1. 1963-1970, engineer for flight control analysis, Martin Marietta, Denver, Colo.
2. 1970-1975, manager, Titan IIIC inertial guidance system, Martin Marietta, Denver, Colo.
3. 1975-1980, Program Manager, Transtage Project, and Director of Space Systems, Martin Marietta, Denver, Colo.
4. 1980-1982, Vice President of Business Development, Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, Denver, Colo.
5. 1982-1985, Vice President and General Manager, Aerospace Strategic and Launch Systems Division, Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, Denver, Colo.
6. 1985-1993, President, Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, Denver, Colo.
7. 1993-1995, President, Martin Marietta Space Group, Bethesda, Md.
8. 1995-1997, President and Chief Operating Officer, Lockheed Martin Information and Services Sector, Bethesda, Md.
9. 1997-1999, President and Chief Operating Officer, Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md.
10. 2001-2005, Undersecretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. 2005-, Board of Trustees, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, Ca.
Awards and honors Sloan Fellow
1990 Honorary Doctor of Science Degree, University of Colorado
2004 W. Stuart Symington Award (for most significant contribution by a civilian for national defense)
2009 Gen. James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award
Wernher von Braun Space Flight Trophy
Bob Hope Distinguished Citizen Award
On 7 October 2016, Teets was inducted into the Colorado Space Hall of Fame.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Fellow, American Astronautical Society
National Academy of Engineering
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Important facts
People in Peter B. Teets's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Peter B. Teets's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Peter B. Teets?
Director of the National Reconnaissance Office
When was Peter B. Teets born?
Peter B. Teets was born on 12 February 1942 in Denver.
When did Peter B. Teets die?
Peter B. Teets died on 29 November 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
What nationality was Peter B. Teets?
Peter B. Teets was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter B. Teets. https://biography.guide/peter-b-teets/
MLA: "Peter B. Teets." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-b-teets/.
Chicago: "Peter B. Teets." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-b-teets/.
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