Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                              
May 19,1992
(Phone:  202/453-8536)

Jack Riley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone:  713/483-5111)

RELEASE:  92-68

ASTRONAUT MELNICK TO RETIRE AND LEAVE NASA

   Astronaut Bruce E. Melnick (Commander, USCG) is retiring 
from the U.S. Coast Guard and will be leaving NASA in July.  
Melnick has accepted the position of Director, Shuttle 
Processing Contract Process Improvement Technology with 
Lockheed Space Operations Co. (LSOC) at Kennedy Space Center 
(KSC), Fla.  

   "I am really honored to have been a part of the NASA team 
for the last 5 years and certainly will miss the close friends 
I have made in the Johnson Space Center family.  My two 
opportunities to venture into space will provide me with 
irreplaceable memories for the rest of my life and should bring 
an invaluable experience base into my new position with LSOC at 
KSC.  I am looking forward to taking on the challenges of space 
engineering management and family wise, this is an ideal time 
for us to make the move," Melnick said.  He will be involved in 
the day-to-day processing of Space Shuttle vehicles in his new 
position.

   Melnick flew on Space Shuttle missions STS-41 in October 
1990 to deploy the Ulysses Jupiter probe and STS-49 in May 1992 
to retrieve, repair and reboost the Intelsat-VI 
telecommunications satellite.  Selected by NASA in June 1987, 
Melnick was NASA's first U.S. Coast Guard astronaut.

   Regarding Melnick's decision to retire, Director of Flight 
Crew Operations Donald R. Puddy said, "Bruce has been an asset 
to the program, not only in his flight assignments but also in 
his technical assignments.  He has represented the Astronaut 
Office at KSC in preparing the Shuttle orbiters' cockpit and 
middeck for missions and in assembly and checkout of the new 
Space Shuttle Endeavour at contractor facilities in California.  
We wish him the best in his new job.  His background will be 
very beneficial to NASA in his new position." 
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