Jim Cast Headquarters, Washington, D.C. August 27, 1990 (Phone: 202/453-8536) RELEASE: 90-116 SPACE FLIGHT'S MAHON TO RETIRE Joseph B. Mahon, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Flight (Flight Systems) has announced his retirement effective Sept. 1, 1990 after nearly 30 years with NASA and a total of 44 years of government service. Since 1987, he has been responsible for managing and directing unmanned launch vehicles and upper stages, Shuttle carrier systems including spacelab operations and tether satellite systems as well as advanced programs such as Shuttle-C, the Advanced Launch System, Assured Crew Return Vehicle and orbital debris investigations. After serving as a systems and project engineer for the U.S. Navy's Polaris and Sparrow missile programs, Mahon joined NASA where he served as the Agena Program Manager. While in this position he received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal for work resulting in the first U.S. spacecraft landing on the Moon. From 1967-1982, he served as Director of Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs) for which he received NASA's Distinguished Service medal. During this 15-year period, over 200 payloads were successfully launched by ELVs, including Earth-orbiting craft such as TIROS, NIMBUS, and Orbiting Solar, Geophysical and Astronomical observatories and communications satellites such as Syncom. Sophisticated probes and interplanetary spacecraft also were boosted toward new and distant targets including Rangers, Surveyors and Lunar Orbiters to the Moon and Mariners, Pioneers, Vikings and Voyagers to the planets. In 1982, Mahon was named Director, Space Transportation Support Programs. In 1986, he was appointed Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Flight and assumed his present position in March, 1987. - more - - 2 - A native of Sugar Notch, Penn., Mahon holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Catholic University, Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Ellen, reside in Seabrook, Md. - end - NASA news releases and other NASA information are available electronically on CompuServe and GEnie, the General Electric Network for Information Exchange. For information on CompuServe, call 1-800-848-8199 and ask for representative 176. For information on GEnie, call 1-800-638-9636. TO: MDS/PRA Group 1615 L Street, N.W. - Suite 100 Washington, D.C. 20036 DATE & TIME: AUGUST 27, 1990 ORDERED BY: Edward Campion NASA Headquarters/LMD 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20546 PHONE: 202/453-8400 PROJECT TITLE: Release No: 90-116 PRINT ORDER: 2303 PRINTING: Camera Ready, lst pg on NASA logo, other pages plain ENCLOSE & MAIL: Release of 2 pages MAIL DATE: AUGUST 28, 1990 EXTRA COPIES: Deliver specified quanities to locations below: 50 copies 275 copies 75 copies -------------------- ------------------- ----------------- National Press Club NASA Mailroom NASA Newsroom 13th floor newsrack NASA Headquarters NASA Headquarters National Press Building 600 Independ. Ave, SW 400 Maryland Ave, SW 529 14th Street, NW Room A16 Room 6043 Washington, DC 20045 Washington, DC 20546 Washington, DC 20546 MEDIA SUMMARY OPTION: Name-by-name media summary - 1 copy CLIENT COMPUTER LISTS: Run the following: LS-BA, LS-CA, LS-FA, LS-KA. TYPE OF RELEASE & PIX: General news X 21:T-23:T PUT ADDRESSING ON: Self-mailer MEDIA SELECTION: END OF ORDER FORM END OF TRANSMISSION