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Glenn Mahone/Bob Jacobs
Headquarters, Washington                        May 20, 2003
(202/358-1898/1600)

RELEASE: 03-174

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER DIRECTOR STEPS DOWN

     NASA Associate Administrator of Space Flight William F. 
Readdy today announced the reassignment of Arthur G. 
Stephenson, Center Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight 
Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., effective June 15. 
Stephenson decided to step down from his current position and 
move to an important role in promoting NASA's Education 
efforts until his retirement in January 2004.

"I worked closely with Art in the Office of Space Flight, and 
I'm thankful for what he has done for the Marshall Space 
Flight Center, the people of Alabama, and the entire NASA 
family," said Readdy in making the announcement.

"I have the deepest respect and appreciation for Art and his 
dedication to public service," said NASA Administrator Sean 
O'Keefe. "Art, with his exemplary private sector experience, 
brought a contemporary business management practice to our 
advocacy of next generation technology, and has been a 
staunch champion of education for our future explorers."

Stephenson will serve as Special Assistant to Dr. Adena 
Loston, the Associate Administrator for Education at NASA 
Headquarters, Washington, and will be based at the National 
Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville. 
The NSSTC is a partnership between MSFC, Alabama 
universities, federal agencies, and industry. NSSTC is a 
laboratory for cutting-edge research in selected scientific 
and engineering disciplines.

"The job of Center Director at Marshall is without a doubt 
the best job I have had in my career. The people at Marshall 
and Huntsville are my family, but after five years, I felt it 
was time to consider new challenges," Stephenson said. "With 
NASA preparing to implement a comprehensive 'Return to 
Flight' effort, I felt the timing for this move is in the 
best interest of the agency, Marshall, and me, personally. I 
want to assist Adena and NASA in advancing the agency's 
important education initiatives," added Stephenson. "And I 
want to spend a lot of time advancing the important work of 
the NSSTC and its mandate to educate the next generation of 
scientists and engineers for space-based research," he said.

Stephenson was named Marshall's center director in 1998, 
where he directed work on critical NASA initiatives such as 
development of new reusable launch vehicles, Space Shuttle 
propulsion, advanced space transportation systems, research 
in microgravity, and science payload operations aboard the 
International Space Station, as well as the launch and 
continuing successful operation of the Chandra X-ray 
Observatory, the world's most powerful X-ray telescope.

Stephenson came to NASA with more than 35 years experience in 
the space industry. His career started in 1964 with TRW, 
working on the design of test equipment for the Lunar Module 
Abort Guidance System in the Apollo program. During the next 
27 years, he took on even greater roles in the nation's space 
exploration efforts. He led the development of the Pioneer 
Jupiter Spacecraft Receiver, the first spacecraft to exit our 
solar system, and the development of the Space Shuttle 
Orbiter S-band Network Transponder still in use today.

He managed several spacecraft and space transportation 
programs before leaving TRW in 1992 to become vice president 
of Oceaneering Space Systems in Houston. In 1997, he became 
president of Oceaneering Technologies, which includes 
divisions working with the U.S. Navy, NASA, Department of 
Energy, and the entertainment industries.

For his contributions to America's space program and the 
nation, Stephenson has been recognized with the NASA 
Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Group Achievement 
Award, and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.

In 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by The 
University of Alabama System and was selected by the American 
Society for Engineering Management as the 2001 Engineering 
Manager of the Year. Most recently, he received the Career 
Achievement Award from the University of Redlands, Calif.

Marshall is one of NASA's largest field installations, with 
more than 6,500 civil service and contract employees. The 
center manages a broad range of research and development 
activities, including next-generation propulsion technology 
and the International Space Station's Payload Operations 
Center, which controls all onboard Station experiments.

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

http://www.nasa.gov

http://www.nsstc.nasa.gov

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