Michael Braukus

Headquarters, Washington, DC October 14, 1998

(Phone: 202/358-1979)

RELEASE: 98-187

AERONAUTICS ENTERPRISE REORGANIZES AND CHANGES NAME

NASA has renamed the Office of Aeronautics and Space

Transportation Technology the Office of Aero-Space Technology and
reorganized it to better meet the Agency's goals.

In announcing the reorganization, Associate Administrator for

Aero-Space Technology Spence M. Armstrong said, "When NASA
Administrator Dan Goldin asked me to take this position, he told
me there were three objectives that he wanted to see accomplished
within the first months of my tenure.

"First, Goldin wanted me to personally be an advocate for the

Reusable Launch Vehicle programs to effect a cheaper means of
access to space. Secondly, he wanted to see more synergy between
the traditional Aeronautics role and the Space Transportation
Technology role, which had been added to the office's
responsibility as a result of an earlier Headquarters
reorganization. Lastly, Goldin wanted to see progress in
achieving the ten goals that NASA had established for the office
just over a year ago. Specifically, he wanted to see 'road maps'
or plans to achieve each goal and asked me to reorganize as
necessary to achieve them," said Armstrong.

To accomplish these objectives, Armstrong sought the advice

and consultation of the office's executive board which is
comprised of the directors of NASA's Ames Research Center, Dryden
Flight Research Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research
Center and Marshall Space Flight Center plus Headquarters'
division directors. The board quickly recognized and accepted
that the enterprise needed to have a management focus that
highlighted achieving its goals rather than the traditional method
of overseeing individual programs. They offered two major
reorganization recommendations: that a Goals Division be
established to measure the progress toward achieving the goals;
and also that an Institution Division be formulated so
Headquarters would have a more significant role in taking care of
institutional problems at the Field Centers such as facilities,
infrastructure and employee issues. Another division, the
Programs Division, will monitor the office's various programs.

The ten goals that NASA established for the enterprise

include eight goals that deal with aviation, one with access to
space and another with space transportation. NASA will work
closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and other
government agencies and industry partners to develop the
technology necessary to attain these goals.
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