NASA veteran Teresa Vanhooser has been appointed deputy director of the
Flight Projects Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala.

Vanhooser will help lead an organization responsible for managing the
operation of scientific research aboard the International Space Station;
developing, integrating and maintaining space systems and life-support
equipment, developing and operating ground systems, managing NASA’s Chandra
X-ray Observatory; and pursuing advanced concepts.

“Flight Projects is a great place to be, with such a talented workforce, and
I’m looking forward to stepping into my new role as deputy,” Vanhooser said.
“There are many exciting developments in the nation’s Space Program on the
horizon, and I want to do my part in seeing us attain even greater
achievements in every aspect of our work.”

Vanhooser most recently served as manager of the Payload Operations and
Integration Department, which manages all International Space Station
science research experiment operations, payload training and safety programs
for the Station crew and ground support personnel. In 2000 Vanhooser was
selected as a member of the Senior Executive Service- an elite corps of men
and women who administer public programs at top levels of the federal
government.

During her 24 years at NASA, she has held a variety of progressively
responsible positions, including mission manager of the second ATLAS mission
– the Space Shuttle-borne remote-sensing laboratory that studied the Earth’s
atmosphere and the Sun’s influence on it and our climate system; mission
manager of the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 – where 29 experiments were
performed in a pressurized Spacelab module onboard the Space Shuttle in
1997; and manager of the Space Station Utilization Office.

As deputy director of Flight Projects, Vanhooser will share responsibility
with Director Tony Lavoie for several major NASA programs. The Flight
Projects Directorate manages the Chandra Observatory, the world’s largest
and most powerful X-ray telescope. Launched in 1999, Chandra has achieved
numerous scientific firsts, revealing new details on all categories of
astronomical objects including distant galaxies, planets, black holes and
stars.

The directorate also develops and integrates space station components such
as Nodes 2/3, and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which carries supplies
aboard the Space Shuttle to and from the Space Station. In addition, the
directorate provides technical support to the current Station life support
system and is developing advanced regenerative life support systems for
future use onboard the orbiting outpost. Flight Projects also develops and
operates ground systems, payload racks, and payload support systems for
accommodating payloads onboard Station.

“Teresa has made a significant contribution to the past and present
performance of the directorate, and her unique talents and capabilities will
blend very well with mine in collectively leading the directorate in this
exciting time,” said Lavoie. “Her experience in managing the payload
operations effort, as well as past experience as a mission manager — where
she was exposed to the flight systems side of space operations — will
serve her well in this new role, and we all look forward to having her in
this critical position.”

Vanhooser is a native of Johnson City, Tenn., where her parents Denny and
Dolores Bowman still live. She graduated from University High in 1976, and
earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Tennessee
Technological University in Cookeville in 1980. It was there that a visit
from NASA representatives first piqued her interest in the space program.
“When they came to school and talked about all the exciting work they were
doing with the Space Shuttle and Spacelab missions, I knew I wanted to work
for them,” said Vanhooser.

Vanhooser earned a Master’s in Administrative Science and Project Management
from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1986, and she has completed
numerous executive and management-level training courses.

During her 24 years at NASA, she has received several awards, including the
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for her management of the ATLAS-2
mission. Tennessee Tech’s Department of Industrial and Manufacturing
Engineering awarded Vanhooser its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2000. She
was presented a Silver Snoopy award for her support of the ATLAS-1 mission.
Silver Snoopies are presented by the Astronaut Corps to individuals who have
contributed to the success of human space flight missions.

Vanhooser and her husband Mike, a project manager in Marshall’s Science
Directorate, have two daughters, Heather and Holly.