Ellen Ochoa, KB5TZZ

Radio Hams named to key NASA positions

Veteran astronaut Ellen Ochoa, KB5TZZ, has been named Deputy Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Ochoa has served as Director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson.

She will succeed Bob Cabana, KC5HBV, who was named Director of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Ochoa and Cabana have each flown in space four times. Ochoa flew on space shuttle missions STS-56 on Discovery in 1993, STS-66 on Atlantis in 1994, STS-96 on Discovery in
1999 and STS-110 on Atlantis in 2002, logging a total of 978 hours in space.

She became Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson in December 2002 and Director of Flight Crew Operations in September 2006.

Cabana has logged more than 1010 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-41 in 1990 and STS-53 in 1992, both on Discovery. He was mission commander on STS-65 on Columbia in 1994 and STS-88 on Endeavour in 1998, the first International Space Station assembly mission.

"Having friends in high places is always a good thing," said ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO.
"It is a great thing for the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program to have Ellen and Bob in these high-level positions at important NASA facilities. They are familiar with Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) and ARISS; recalling good experiences the two programs have provided students over the years can be very helpful to the future of Amateur Radio in space."

The American Radio Relay League