Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, DC                                                   
September 5, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1778)

Eileen Hawley
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  713/483-5111)


RELEASE:  96-182

LOPEZ-ALEGRIA TO REPLACE LAWRENCE 
AS NASA MANAGER IN RUSSIA

     Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria (Cmdr., USN) will 
replace astronaut Wendy B. Lawrence (Cmdr., USN) as NASA's 
Director of Operations, Russia, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut 
Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, outside Moscow.

     In his role, Lopez-Alegria will be the primary link 
between NASA and Russian management in Star City, 
coordinating all training and other operations involving NASA 
or contractor personnel.  He will build upon the operational 
and personal relationships developed over the past two years 
between NASA, Star City management and Russian cosmonauts.

     "Commander Lopez-Alegria will be an excellent asset to 
this international operation," said Frank Culbertson, 
Shuttle/Mir Program Director.  "His experience and leadership 
expertise will continue to build on the outstanding job 
Commander Lawrence has done for us in Star City."

     Lopez-Alegria will leave for Russia in early October and 
will join fellow U.S. astronauts who are training for future 
stays aboard the Mir space station and the International 
Space Station.  Lawrence and David A. Wolf, M.D., will join 
Jerry M. Linenger (Captain, Medical Corps, USN), C. Michael 
Foale, Ph.D., and 
James S. Voss (Col., USA) who are already training in Star 
City.

     Lopez-Alegria, 38, was born in Madrid, Spain, but 
considers Mission Viejo, CA, his hometown.  For complete 
biographical information on Lopez-Alegria and other 
astronauts, see the Internet homepage at URL: 
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

-end-