NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Launch Team members share the responsibility and excitement of launching space shuttle missions. They report to their respective computer or communication consoles following the "call to stations" for the final countdown. Many of the consoles are located in the firing rooms in Kennedy's Launch Control Center, next door to the Vehicle Assembly Building in Launch Complex 39. Below are some of the key members with descriptions of their responsibilities during the events that lead up to the liftoff of a space shuttle.

LeRoy Cain, Pre-Flight Mission Management Team Chairman
Cain is the manager of Space Shuttle Launch Integration. He shares mission management team responsibilities with the In-Flight Mission Management Team Chairman. Cain reports directly to the Space Shuttle Program Manager and assists with the overall management, integration and operations of the Space Shuttle Program.

Ed Mango, STS-125 Launch Director
Mango polls the payload manager, the shuttle engineering director, the launch weather officer and the director of safety to get a launch consensus, and verifies that the test and mission management team directors are in agreement. The launch director is responsible for making the final "go/no-go" decision to proceed with the launch.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, STS-125 Test Director
Blackwell-Thompson leads the shuttle test team responsible for directing and integrating all flight crew, orbiter, external tank/solid rocket booster and ground support testing throughout the shuttle launch countdown. The test director also is responsible for the safety of all personnel inside the pad after external tank loading, including the flight crew. She reports to the launch director.

Debbie Hahn, STS-125 Mission Manager
Hahn leads the team of engineers and technicians that assemble and test the Hubble servicing payloads that are flying on mission STS-125, acting as the primary interface with the payload customers and solving any technical issues that may arise with any of the hardware.


Angie Brewer, Atlantis Flow Director
Brewer is responsible for space shuttle Atlantis' integration, scheduling and conduct of the orbiter's processing operations, and launch countdown.



Kathy Winters, Launch Weather Officer
Winters monitors weather conditions from the Morrell Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and evaluates range and shuttle weather launch commit criteria. She is in constant contact with the launch director and landing recovery director during the countdown, and contacted by the launch director during the final launch poll.

Jeff Spaulding, STS-125 Assistant Test Director
Spaulding is responsible for management of the launch team and launch procedure for the terminal countdown in support of the test director's duties, including management of the countdown clock with the ground launch sequencer operator, and management of any special crews sent to the pad for major issues or emergencies.

Shannon Bartell, Director of Safety and Mission Assurance
Bartell is the advisory member to the mission management team and is responsible for reviewing the rationale in decision-making, ensuring that dissenting opinions are encouraged, and for calling on additional resources to respond to short turnaround issues.