WASHINGTON — Joseph Rothenberg, NASA’s chief of human space flight, will retire from the U.S. space agency Dec. 15, NASA announced Oct. 16.

As NASA’s associate administrator for human spaceflight, Rothenberg is responsible for the space shuttle and international space station programs.

Before coming to NASA headquarters, Rothenberg ran the Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Md., a Washington suburb.

"Joe Rothenberg is a hero to the people at NASA and to the entire space community," said James Muncy, a Washington-based aerospace consultant and former congressional aide.