Wayne Hale. Photo: NASA

Astronaut James Halsell, shuttle launch integration manager at the Kennedy Space Center and the person who gives the final "go" for launch in the last few minutes of a countdown, is returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston in the next few weeks to begin training for his sixth shuttle flight. He will be replaced by Wayne Hale, a widely respected JSC ascent-and-entry flight director who brings a wealth of soft-spoken experience to the job.

Halsell is a veteran of five flights, two as pilot and three as commander. Earlier this month, he was named commander of mission STS-120, a space station flight aboard the shuttle Endeavour that's currently targeted for launch in February 2004.

It's not yet known exactly when Hale will begin his tenure at KSC, where engineers are gearing up to launch the shuttle Columbia Jan. 16 on a flight featuring the first Israeli astronaut. Hale has been a flight director since 1988 and is a veteran of 37 shuttle missions. He served as ascent flight director for 28 flights and entry director for 26.

As shuttle launch integration manager, Hale will serve as chairman of NASA's mission management team, a group of senior agency managers established in the wake of the Challenger disaster to oversee mission planning and execution.

In that capacity, Hale, the first non astronaut to hold the position, will be responsible for giving the KSC launch team its final clearance to proceed with the final nine minutes of a shuttle's countdown. He most recently served as ascent/entry flight director for mission STS-113, the most recent shuttle flight.