Cabana graduated from the US Naval Academy with a degree in mathematics. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and served as an A-6 bombardier. Cabana earned the Daughters of the American Revolution award as the top Marine to complete flight training. He graduated with distinction and has logged over 7,000 hours in 50 different kinds of aircraft.
Cabana became an astronaut in 1986. He was assigned to the Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office, serving as lead astronaut in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory; Mission Control Spacecraft Communicator, and chief of NASA's Astronaut Office. A veteran of four spaceflights, Cabana has logged 38 days in space, serving as the pilot on 2 flights and mission commander on the 2 other flights. His fourth flight was the first assembly mission of the International Space Station. Following his retirement as a colonel, Cabana was appointed a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service and ultimately became deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 2008, Cabana was named the 10th Director of the JFK Space Center.
