After 35 years of government service, Richard Lafosse received a phone call from NASA Space Shuttle Discovery commander Lee Archambault from space.
Archambault called to Houston's Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center to congratulate Lafosse on his retirement and thank him for superior NASA spaceflight weather support during more than 66 shuttle missions. Lafosse retired from the National Weather Service's Spaceflight Meteorology Group on April 3.
"We recognize Rich's outstanding work in keeping the crew and shuttle safe with exceptional launch and landing weather forecasts," Archambault said. "Rich's support will be missed and we wish him well as he heads into retirement."
Lafosse began working for NOAA's National Weather Service Forecast Office in Brownsville, Texas in January 1974 as a Meteorologist Intern. In 1978, he transferred to the Center for Weather Service in Houston and in 1993, began working for the NWS Spaceflight Meteorology Group.
Lafosse served as lead forecaster for 12 shuttle missions and received the Director's Award from the NWS Southern Region in 2006. He led SMG efforts in weather radar coordination and Applied Meteorology Unit collaboration.
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