Jun 14 2006

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NASA announced the appointment of two new Flight Directors, Ron Spencer and Heather Rarick, who would direct human spaceflights from Mission Control at NASA’s JSC. The appointments increased to 28 the number of active Space Shuttle and ISS flight directors, including those in training. From 1990 to 1994, Spencer had worked as a contractor at JSC, during which time he had developed the space station assembly sequence for the Space Station Program Office. In 1994 he had become a NASA civil servant, and, beginning in 1997, he had worked in Mission Control as a Shuttle flight dynamics officer. Rarick had also worked as a contractor for NASA in various capacities until 2001, including working as the operations lead and Russian interface officer in the International Liaison Office of Mission Control. She had become a NASA employee in 2001, continuing her previous assignment, as well as assuming the technical lead for the Russian interface officers. In 2003 NASA had named Rarick chairperson of the Russian Joint Operations Panel, which would address long-term resolution of U.S.-Russian operational issues. NASA Flight Director Office Chief Phil Engelauf praised Spencer and Rarick as “possessing the leadership skills necessary to ensure NASA accomplishes the near-term exploration goals of completing the space station, safely flying the shuttle through retirement and returning to the moon.”

NASA, Johnson Space Center, “Two New Flight Directors Chosen To Lead NASA’s Mission Control,” news release J06-069, 14 June 2006, http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/2006/J06-069.html (accessed 11 August 2010).

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