Mar 21 1989
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher announced his resignation, effective April 8. Dr. Fletcher had served as NASA Administrator for a total of nine years, from April 1971 to May 1977, and again since May 1986, following the Challenger accident. Dr. Fletcher, who reluctantly agreed to return to the Agency at the request of President Ronald Reagan, supervised the adoption of a new management system that put greater emphasis on quality control and safety for the Shuttle program. During his second term, Dr. Fletcher had oversight of the redesign of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters and successfully lobbied Congress for continuation of the Space Station program. In his resignation announcement, Dr. Fletcher said he now felt that he could "safely place the leadership of NASA in another's hands." NASA Deputy Administrator Dale Myers served as Acting Administrator until a successor was named by President George Bush. (NASA Release 89-36, Mar 21/89; AP, Mar 21/89; UPI, Mar 21/89; NY Times, Mar 22/89; WSJ, Mar 22/89; USA Today, Mar 22/89; B Sun, Mar 22/89; LA Times, Mar 22/89)
In its first underwater test firing, a Trident II missile exploded in flight four seconds after breaching the ocean surface near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shortly after being fired from the submarine USS Tennessee, the Trident II veered off course and self destructed. Neither the submarine nor its support ships were damaged. (NY Times, Mar 22/89; W Post, Mar 22/89; W Times, Mar 22/89; LA Times, Mar 22/89)
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