Dwayne C. Brown
Headquarters, Washington, DC            April 8, 1999
(Phone: 202/358-1726)

RELEASE: 99-50

McCLAIN TO LEAVE NASA;
HAWES NAMED ACTING CHIEF OF SPACE STATION

     Gretchen McClain, a senior space station official at NASA 
Headquarters, has announced she will leave the Agency to return to 
private industry later this month.

    Michael Hawes, NASA's chief engineer for the space station, 
will replace McClain in an acting role.

      "Gretchen's vision, technical expertise and leadership was a 
key factor in bringing the station to reality," said Joseph 
Rothenberg, Associate Administrator for Space Flight. "I along 
with the entire NASA team will miss her.  Michael will ensure that 
we maintain that leadership and expertise until a permanent 
selection is made."

     McClain was selected to the position of Deputy Associate 
Administrator for Space Development (Space Station) in 1997.  Her 
primary duties included directing the space station budget; 
establishing and implementing station policy and coordinating 
external communications; and liaison activities with the 
Administration, Congress, industry and the station's international 
partners.

     "It was a difficult decision to return to the private 
sector," McClain said, "having been an integral part of the space 
station program since its initial development, and seeing first 
hand the birth of a new star on the horizon when the first two 
station elements were placed in orbit. However, Mike's impressive 
skills and professionalism will make that star even brighter."

     Hawes joined NASA in 1978 and served as the senior engineer 
in the former space station office in Reston, VA.  Before that, he 
served in several technical and managerial positions at NASA's 
Johnson Space Center in Houston.  He has coordinated the 
integration of experiments and commercial satellites on the space 
shuttle; served as Payload Officer for several shuttle missions; 
and was a member of the mission control team for the reentry of 
Skylab in 1979. Throughout his career he has received several 
Agency awards for his contributions to human space flight.

     "I'm fortunate to have been so closely involved in space 
flight activities and fully understand the technical and 
managerial challenges we face. I'm prepared to meet those 
challenges," Hawes said.

                             -end-