Doug Lyons is the launch director for the space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 mission at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In this capacity, he will make the final "go/no go" decision to proceed with the launch. Mission STS-122 is the first time he has served as launch director. Until this mission, he has been serving as the deputy launch director.

Lyons began his career with NASA as an operations engineer in the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy after graduating from college in 1987. He was later promoted to shuttle test director and performed duties associated with launch countdown planning. He was responsible for directing the execution of the terminal countdown timelines and managing the countdown clock.

He also chaired the Launch Countdown Working Group, which is responsible for planning all the activities in the shuttle countdown. The working group generates procedures used during the countdown and detailed schedules for the work that must be accomplished before liftoff.

Lyons was then appointed chief of the Launch and Landing Division for the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy.

Lyons graduated from Killian High School in Miami in 1982. He received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1987, and a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida in 1990.

Lyons lives in Cocoa Beach, Fla., with his wife Jenny and daughters Hannah and Natalie. Jenny is also a member of the space shuttle team at Kennedy Space Center. In his spare time, he enjoys water skiing, scuba diving, snow skiing and spending time at the beach.

December 2007