For Release: March 14, 1996
Catherine Watson
(804) 864-6122

Release No. 96-017

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Small Explorers of the Future - The Clementine Mission to the Moon

Air Force Col. Pedro "Pete" Rustan, director of the Small Satellite Development Office in the National Reconnaissance Office, will discuss the 1994 Clementine mission to the moon at 2 p.m. Monday, March 18 at the NASA Langley H.J.E. Reid Conference Center. Rustan, the Clementine mission director, will discuss why the Clementine program was started, how it was managed and the implications for future small satellite projects.

Rustan's office is responsible for developing alternative small satellite designs and for building small spacecraft to meet specialized requirements. The Clementine mission to the moon was designed to flight test 23 advanced, lightweight technologies, using three celestial bodies (the Earth, moon, and a near-Earth asteroid) as targets.

Rustan received his Air Force commission in 1972 and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Florida in 1979. In 1992 he was selected to manage the Clementine mission, the first Department of Defense mission to deep space. Rutan has published more than 50 articles in scientific journals, several of which discuss the use of advanced technology and streamlined spacecraft program management.

Rustan will be available for interviews from 1:15 to 1:50 p.m.

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