CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Kennedy Space Center Director Roy Bridges has announced he is leaving Florida to become the director of Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
He will make the move Aug. 10.
Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director James Kennedy will serve as acting director until a replacement is found, it was announced today.
"Obviously, it comes as a surprise to you all," Bridges said in a statement read by Kennedy. "It certainly was to me."
Kennedy made the announcement to KSC employees late this morning.
Bridges was in Virginia, where NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe announced to Langley employees that Bridges would be their new director.
"Roy regrets not being able to be here to make this announcement personally," Kennedy said.
OKeefe called Bridges, a retired Air Force Major General, to ask him to switch centers on Wednesday. He had served as leader of KSC since 1997.
"The boss wants me to stand up a NASA safety center at Langley to make our commitment to safety more visible and more robust," Kennedy read.
"Because of the potential for the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, or CAIB, to make recommendations for improvements in this area, we need to be proactive in preparation for our return to flight."
On May 29, Bridges denied to Florida Today he intended to leave Kennedy Space Center anytime soon. "I dont have anything on that," he said at the time.
Bridges, 59, graduated top of his class in the U.S. Air Force Academy. He flew 140 missions in Vietnam and joined a test pilot program.
He served as the commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He also led the Eastern Space and Missile Center at Patrick Air Force Base.
He piloted shuttle Challenger in 1985.
He is married to Benita Albaugh, and they have two adult children.
"Roy's experience as an aviator and his work to advance aerospace technology made him a natural selection to lead the agency's premier center for aviation and space research," Bill Readdy, NASAs associate administrator for space flight, said in a statement. "He's a natural leader, innovator and problem solver. I look forward to his contributions at Langley."
This is one of many top-level managerial changes in the agency since the Columbia disaster Feb. 1.
On May 20, the director of NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center, Art Stephenson, stepped down. He moved to NASAs education department.
Earlier, shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore resigned from his position to pursue a career in the private sector.
"I accepted primarily out of a sense of duty to do whatever the administrator thinks is best for our leadership team during this critical time of human space flight programs and the agency," Bridges said via Kennedy. "As you know, things are literally hanging in the balance and we must answer the call to duty as best we can to get back to flight safely and soon."
Published under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2003 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of FLORIDA TODAY.
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