Mark Hess Headquarters, Washington, D.C. February 26, 1991 (Phone: 202/453-4164) Jeffrey Carr Johnson Space Center, Houston (Phone: 713/483-5111) RELEASE: 91-35 JSC ESTABLISHES FREEDOM OPERATIONS PROJECT OFFICE The Johnson Space Center, Houston, has established a project office for the development and implementation of Space Station Freedom (SSF) flight operations. The Space Station Mission Operation Project Office resides within the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD), which has overall responsibility for the development and conduct of flight planning, training and operations for the Space Shuttle and SSF programs. MOD Director Eugene Kranz described the new organization, saying, "It's intended to provide for more direct interaction between MOD and the work packages, institutions and international elements in developing and defining operating concepts, requirements and responsibilities. The change also will enhance our support of these organizations in the design of space systems and the development of operations facilities". The new office will be headed by Charles R. Lewis who will report directly to Robert W. Moorehead, Deputy Director for Program and Operations, SSF Program Office, on all aspects of planning, training and management of SSF flight operations. After graduating from New Mexico State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Lewis worked for a year at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., on radio frequency systems before joining the NASA Space Task Group at the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., in 1962. Lewis moved to Houston with the task group in 1962 after establishment of the Manned Spacecraft Center, now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. - 2 - Since 1962, Lewis has held several highly responsible positions at JSC in mission operations. He served during the Mercury and Gemini programs as remote site Spacecraft Communicator. He served as Assistant Flight Director during Apollo and as Flight Director for Apollo 17, all Skylab flights, the Apollo Soyuz Test Project and Shuttle missions 1, 2, 4 and 9. In 1984, Lewis was named Chief of Flight Operations Integration and then as the MOD Chief of Space Station Operations Integration in 1985. - end -