Owen K. Garriott has been named interim director of the newly created National Space Science & Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala., officials said today.
Dr. Garriott will be responsible for managing the national science laboratory until a permanent director can be found, according to Dr. Ron Greenwood, Director of the Space Science and Technology Alliance (SSTA).
"Dr. Garriott provides the knowledge and experience that is necessary to move this research facility from an embryonic beginning into a productive resource for NASA and its partners," Greenwood said. "He has a strong background in space science and has held positions in government, industry and academia. Dr. Garriott will be able to draw on all of those experiences as he provides leadership for this important research center."
The National Space Science & Technology Center is located in a 120,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville's Cummings Research Park. A 60,000-square-foot laboratory annex is planned next year. The facility will house approximately 450 people from NASA, other government agencies, academia and private industry.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center's space science and technology expertise will provide the core for the new center, focusing on research in space science, materials science, biotechnology, Earth sciences, propulsion, and optics as well as other areas that support NASA's mission.
"We are delighted that Dr. Garriott has agreed to serve as the Interim Director for the National Space Science and Technology Center," said Art Stephenson, Marshall Center Director. "His academic, industrial and NASA experience make him an ideal choice to guide the center during its formative stages."
The center will be operated through a partnership between Marshall Space Flight Center and the Alabama Space Science and Technology Alliance - a group of six Alabama universities including The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama A&M University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of South Alabama.
Garriott began his duties on September 5. The Oklahoma native has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He received graduate degrees from Stanford University.
Dr. Garriott served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956. He taught at Stanford University from 1961 to 1965 and performed research and led graduate studies in ionospheric physics.
Garriott joined NASA as a scientist/astronaut in 1965. He set a world record for space flight duration on his first trip into space when he flew 60 days aboard Skylab in 1973. He spent 10 days aboard Spacelab in 1983.
He has served as Director of Science and Applications at Johnson Space Center and was a program scientist in the Space Station Program Office from 1984 to 1986. After leaving NASA in 1986, he was a consultant for aerospace companies, and joined Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville as vice president of space programs in 1988. He served in that role until 1993.
Dr. Garriott became a founder and president of Immutherapeutics Inc., a company that initiated FDA approved, human trials for a tumor therapy. He resigned his post, but remains active with the company's board of directors.
A search will begin immediately for a permanent director. Greenwood said that process could take up to a year.
The National Space Science and Technology Center became reality Aug. 8 in Montgomery, Ala., when Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and Stephenson formally endorsed a partnership agreement to operate the new center.