T. Jack Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Jack Lee
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Official NASA portrait of Thomas Jack Lee
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| Born | 1935 |
| Died | (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center |
Thomas Jack Lee (born 1935 – died February 24, 2019) was a very important person at NASA. He was the sixth Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He led this center from July 6, 1989, to January 6, 1994.
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Thomas Lee's Early Career at NASA
Before becoming the Director, Thomas Lee was the deputy director of the Marshall Center. This means he was the second-in-command, helping to run things. He held this role from December 1980. For seven years before that, he managed the Spacelab program at the center.
From July to September 1986, he also served as the acting director. This was a temporary role where he took charge of the center.
Working on Big Rockets
Besides his deputy director duties, Lee also managed a special project. This was the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle Definition Office. This team worked on planning and developing a very powerful rocket. This rocket would be able to carry heavy loads into space for national needs.
Starting His Journey in Space
Thomas Lee began his career in 1958. He worked as an engineer for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal. In 1960, he moved to the Marshall Center when it was first created. He became a systems engineer there.
From 1963 to 1965, he was the manager for the Pegasus Meteoroid Detection Satellite Project. This project helped detect tiny space rocks called meteoroids. Later, from 1965 to 1969, he was the chief of the Saturn Program Resident Office. This office was located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Leading the Spacelab Program
From 1969 to 1973, Lee was an assistant to the technical deputy director. After that, he became the deputy manager and then manager of the Sortie Lab Task Team. This team later became the Spacelab Program Office in 1974.
As the manager of the Spacelab Program Office, he had a big responsibility. He worked with the European Space Agency (ESA). Together, they developed Spacelab. Spacelab was a special laboratory that could be used many times. It was designed for science experiments in Earth's orbit.
