MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Contact: Mary Beth Murrill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOct. 5, 1998

DOUGLAS STETSON TO MANAGE SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION OFFICE

       Douglas Stetson has been named the manager of the Solar System Exploration Program Office in the Space and Earth Sciences Program Directorate at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He replaces John C. Beckman, who was recently appointed manager of JPL's Systems Division, overseeing space mission development.

       Stetson, 39, has held a variety of technical and managerial positions since he joined JPL in 1983. He spent about 10 years in JPL's Mission Design section, specializing in orbital mechanics and planetary mission design and engineering. During that time, he served as the lead mission design engineer for the Cassini mission to Saturn early in the project's history, and was the study lead for a large number of advanced planetary concept studies.

       From 1992 to 1993 Stetson worked at NASA Headquarters, Washington DC, in the agency's Solar System Exploration Division. Since returning to JPL he has been heavily involved in strategic and technology planning for JPL's solar system exploration program and has continued to work closely with the NASA Office of Space Science.

       Born in Sacramento, CA, Stetson attended Stanford University and received a bachelor's degree in physics in 1981 and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1983. He resides in La Canada-Flintridge, CA.

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