Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : NASA Facility Will Gain Its Independence : NASA: Dryden Flight Research Facility had been on its own, but has been a part of the Ames Research Center since 1981.

NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Facility on Thursday finally received what it’s been seeking for years--independence.

In an address that detailed changes within the space agency, Daniel S. Goldin, National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrator, said Dryden would become a separate entity. Dryden now operates as a facility of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Dryden will formally gain its independence March 1, according to Goldin. Dryden chief Kenneth Szalai was named director of the facility.

Goldin addressed NASA employees across the country via the agency’s satellite television network and also made a public speech in Washington. He said the changes and appointments outlined Thursday “will enhance and strengthen the agency’s programs and institutions.”

He said the changes follow President Clinton’s “goal to make government less expensive and more efficient, and to reinvigorate NASA.”

Goldin also announced appointments to several posts at NASA headquarters and named new directors for several centers, including Johnson Space Center, where Carolyn Huntoon will take the reins.

Goldin said giving Dryden its independence “reflects the commitment on the part of NASA to reduce layers of management and empower operating organizations to carry out their mission with maximum benefit to the country.”

Dryden, where NASA flight tests its research aircraft, had previously been on its own, but in 1981 was made a component of Ames.