Air Force General Named Director of Kennedy Space Center
Lt. Gen. Forrest S. McCartney, commander of the Air Force Space Division, was named director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday in a move that promises to give the military a more visible role in the civilian space effort.
McCartney, 55, replaces Richard Smith, director of the Florida shuttle port for the last seven years. Smith retired on July 31 to become president of General Space Corp.
McCartney’s appointment had been rumored for weeks but the announcement was delayed to work out salary details. His Air Force salary apparently will be paid by NASA.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, reacting to criticism from astronauts and congressmen, Wednesday named a task force to take a fresh look at its $8-billion space station design and its plan to shift some work from Houston to Huntsville, Ala.
Associate Administrator Andrew Stofan appointed a 35-person group to review all aspects of the design of the permanently manned space station, scheduled to go into operation in 1994, including the development roles of various NASA centers.
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