Contact: Dave Drachlis
Media Relations Department
(256) 544-0034
dave.drachlis@msfc.nasa.gov
RELEASE: 00-184
Mike Allen has been named deputy manager of the Technology
Evaluation Department at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala. Mark Fisher has been chosen to head the X-34
project, replacing Allen.
Both positions are within Marshall’s Space Transportation
Directorate.
In his new position, Allen is responsible for day to day activities at
Marshall’s propulsion test area. His 14-year career at Marshall
includes serving as both deputy project manager and project
manager for the X-34 rocket plane test vehicle, and working in the
Space Shuttle Main Engine and Solid Rocket Booster project
offices.
Allen also has represented Marshall’s Space Shuttle Program
Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., supporting the
associate administrator for space flight.
Fisher’s new responsibilities include overseeing development and
testing of the X-34 reusable, sub-orbital test vehicle — designed to
demonstrate key technologies to help lower the cost of putting a
payload into space from $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound.
He also will oversee development and testing of the Fastrac
Engine, which will power the X-34.
Fisher began his NASA career in 1990 in the Marshall Center’s
Propulsion Laboratory. He most recently led the Vehicle Subsystem
Engineering Group, responsible for vehicle engineering of all flight
projects in Marshall’s Space Transportation Directorate.
Marshall is NASA’s Lead Center for developing the nation’s future
reusable space transportation systems and Center of Excellence
for space propulsion.
Marshall’s Space Transportation Directorate plans, directs, and
executes research, technology maturation, advanced design and
development, and sustaining engineering for NASA’s space
transportation systems. That includes expendable and reusable
launch vehicles, heavy lift vehicles, upper stages, in-space
transportation systems, and other associated transportation
systems and subsystems.
