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Glenn Mahone/Bob Jacobs
Headquarters, Washington                       May 23, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1898/1600)

Jerry Berg
Marshal Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256/544-6540)

RELEASE: 03-181

DAVID A. KING NAMED MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER DIRECTOR

     NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William F. 
Readdy today named David A. King as the new center director 
for the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. King 
is currently Marshall's deputy director and will succeed 
Arthur G. Stephenson when Stephenson steps down June 15.

King, whose NASA career began in 1983, has held the number 
two position at Marshall since November 2002. In that 
capacity, he assisted the center director in managing a broad 
range of propulsion, space science and materials research and 
development work contributing to the nation's space program.

"Dave's closeness to the people and programs at Marshall make 
him a natural selection," Readdy said. "His ability to make 
critical decisions under challenging circumstances, 
comprehensive knowledge of Space Shuttle systems, and his 
demonstrated leadership qualities are vital as we move 
forward with our 'Return to Flight' efforts."

King has also played a key role in NASA's Shuttle recovery 
operations in Lufkin, Texas, beginning earlier this year. He 
was dispatched to Lufkin within hours of the accident and 
immediately began serving as the senior on-site NASA 
official, directing efforts to search for clues and recover 
debris from the Feb. 1 accident.

He was instrumental in creating the critical initial work 
processes; establishing effective working relationships among 
numerous federal and state government agencies; and laying 
the foundation for the two subsequent NASA officials who 
would share responsibility for leading an effective recovery 
from the mishap. 

"There was no blueprint on how to manage a recovery effort of 
this magnitude. Dave's devotion and determination, and his 
ability to manage thousands of people across multiple 
disciplines was significant in the success of the debris 
recovery process," added NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. 
"He's committed to the safety and success of the Space 
Shuttle program, and I know his colleagues at Marshall are as 
pleased as I am about his selection."

Prior to serving as deputy director at Marshall, King was 
director of Shuttle processing at NASA's Kennedy Space 
Center, Fla., where he managed and coordinated all Space 
Shuttle processing and launch operations, overseeing the work 
of approximately 5,400 civil service and contractor 
employees.

He coordinated all pre-launch preparations, as well as 
Shuttle landing operations. As the senior member of the 
Shuttle launch team during the 3-day countdown process, King 
ultimately made the final determination to launch. 

King began his NASA career in 1983 as a main propulsion 
system engineer. He later served as flow director for the 
Space Shuttle Discovery and then as the acting deputy 
director of the Installation Operations Directorate. He was 
appointed deputy director of Shuttle Processing in 1996, 
launch director in 1997, and director of Shuttle Processing 
in 1999. 

In addition to those duties, King reassumed the 
responsibilities as Shuttle launch director from July 1999 
until the position was filled in August 2000. He served as 
launch director for six Space Shuttle launches, including 
missions to the Mir space station, the International Space 
Station, and a repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Marshall Center is one of NASA's largest field 
installations, with more than 6,500 civil service and 
contract employees and an annual budget of $2.3 billion. 

Additional information about NASA and the Marshall Space 
Flight Center is available on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov

www.msfc.nasa.gov/BIOS/kingda.html

www.msfc.nasa.gov

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