Bass Redd was employed for twenty-six years by the National Aeronautics And Space Administration as Chief of the Flight Technology Branch on the Apollo Program, Head of Conceptual Design and Chief of Flight Performance on the Space Shuttle Program, and Chief of Conceptual Design on the Space Station Program. He also served on the Academic Advisory Board of The Texas A&M Aerospace Department. After leaving NASA he became President of Eagle Aerospace while also serving on the board of directors of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board for eight years.
As Chief of Flight Performance he was responsible for ascent flight performance, ascent aerodynamics, ascent heating, SRB separation, ET separation, and Orbiter separation from the 747. For the Space Shuttle Orbiter, his responsibility included entry flight dynamics, entry aerodynamics, and entry heating.