Posted: Fri, Jun 13, 2003, 8:24 PM ET (0024 GMT)
Kennedy Space Center director Roy Bridges will move to Virginia to become director of NASA's Langley Research Center, the space agency announced Friday. Bridges, head of KSC for over six years, will take over as the head of Langley in August. The transfer came as a surprise to many, including to Bridges himself, according to a statement read to KSC employees on Friday. Some have considered the change something of a demotion, given KSC's leading role in launch and human spaceflight while Langley largely focuses on aeronautics, although NASA emphasized Bridges' background in aviation when announcing the change. The move is the second time in less than a month that NASA has announced the transfer of a center director: in May Marshall Space Flight Center director Art Stephenson was moved to a role as special assistant to the NASA associate administrator for education. Bridges succeeds Del Freeman, who had been acting director of Langley for about a year. KSC deputy director James Kennedy will serve as acting administrator of KSC until a permanent replacement is selected.
