Major Nova served as Commander of Grand Turk Air Force Station in the Caribbean Islands of Turks and Caicos from May of 1983 thru April of 1984. Grand Turk was one of several tracking stations in the Caribbean that served as data monitoring facilities for all NASA, military and commercial space launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida. These locations received tracking data from launch vehicles and transmitted information back to Command Control at Cape Canaveral. This mission was accomplished from the beginning of the U.S. Space Program in the early 1960's thru the mid 1980's, when their function was replaced by the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS).
While Grand Turk Station remained open, Major Nova supervised the technical support for several Space Shuttle launches in 1983. He was later in charge of closing down the activities of the Station in 1984. This was the last of Air Force Space Command's Caribbean facilities to cease operation as their function became redundant due to advances in technology.
Major Nova was also responsible for sensitive diplomatic negotiations with local island and British Government officials as to the distribution of U.S. property on the Base. The former U.S. Air Force Station is now an Island Government Compound for officials that administer the Turks and Caicos Islands.