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J. Wayne Littles

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Jerroll Wayne Littles
Official NASA portrait of J. Wayne Littles
Born (1939-07-14) July 14, 1939 (age 85)
OccupationNASA executive
TitleDirector of the
Marshall Space Flight Center

Jerrol Wayne Littles (born July 14, 1939) was the eighth director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama. He served as director from February 3, 1996, to January 3, 1998.

Early life

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Littles was born in Moultrie, Georgia, in 1939.[1]

Education

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Early career

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NASA career

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MSFC Director Dr. J. Wayne Littles and his wife with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office of the White House following the presentation of the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service. Other NASA honorees and their spouses are also pictured.

Prior to his appointment as Center Director, Littles served as NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Flight (1994-1996). Littles began his NASA career in 1967 when he worked as an engineer in Marshall's former Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Directorate. He worked in various capacities at the Marshall Center, including Science Engineering Director (1988-1989) and Center Deputy Director (1989-1994) before transferring to NASA Headquarters in 1994, as Chief Engineer. Littles was involved in the redesign of the space shuttle solid rocket booster, blamed for the Challenger disaster in 1986.[4] Littles was also a witness for the Rogers Commission, which investigated the challenger Disaster[5]

During his two years as Center Director, Dr. Littles' administration was responsible for the space lab mission, the space science projects, alternative light-weight launch vehicles, and their engine development. He retired from NASA in 1998.

Littles is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

References

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  1. ^ "J. Wayne Littles". Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  2. ^ "Dr. J. Wayne Littles". Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Biography / Evaluation Report of Subcommittee For Space Utilization". NASDA. Retrieved October 28, 2007. [dead link]
  4. ^ "New Head Official for Space Shuttle Office". The New York Times. November 21, 1994. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  5. ^ "Report of the PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident". NASA. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
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