NASA Representatives to Australia

A number of senior NASA officials were stationed in Australia to represent NASA at various times.

The plan is to add a page for as many of these people as possible.

I’d be very glad of any help in filling in the details. Contact.

NASA Senior Representatives to Australia

Edwin P. Hartman – May 1960 – June 1964 (based in Melbourne)

Ray W. Hooker – July 1964 – 1966 (based in Melbourne)

Willson H. Hunter – 1966 – 1979 (based in Canberra, and all the following also in Canberra)

H. William Wood – 1979 – late 1981(?)

Joe Kerwin – 1982 – 1983

Mike Stevens – at least 1984

Charlie Taylor – 1986 – 1990

Richard Colonna – 1990 – 1992

Charlie Taylor – 1992 – interim for a few weeks.

G. Ted Ankrum – June 1992 – July 1997.

Miriam Baltuck - July 1997– ~2004

Neal Newman - ~2004 – June 2006.

JPL Representatives to Australia

Richard J. (Dick) Fahnestock – 1963? – at least 1967 (based in Adelaide and then Canberra when the Space Office moved to Canberra), Was JPL Rep to Spain 1975-1976. (“NASA Stations Near Madrid”, José Manuel Urech Ribera, page 47.)

Melvin (Mel) Glenn (in Canberra?) – at least 1965 – partly concurrent with Dick Fahnestock. Was JPL Rep to Spain 1971 - 1974. (“NASA Stations Near Madrid”, page 47.)

Walter E. (Walt) Larkin – January 1969 – January 1973 (Based in Canberra)

Phillip A. (Phil) Tardani – 1973 – ????. He was JPL Rep to Spain 1964-1971 and 1977-1983. Was key in early days of site selection for Robledo. (“NASA Stations Near Madrid”, page 47.)

Douglas J. Mudgway – 1980 – 1981? (The Canberra Times, page 1, 14 November 1980, mentions that he is in Canberra ‘for two years’, though that may have been extended.)

Walt Larkin (second time) – 1986 – 1987. (Possibly for the DSS43 extension to 70m.)

NASA Goddard Representatives to Australia

Don W. Anderson – 1961? - 1964? (He attended the Opening ceremony at Carnarvon on 25 June 1964. By 1967, he was with the Manned Flight Operations Division.)

Hugh Fletcher – 1963-64?

Chris (Christos) L. Maskaleris – 1964? – early 1967. (Apparently based at WRE in Salisbury, Adelaide, South Australia.)

John F. South – January 1967 – 1968 (Note: After Australia he went on to a number of StaDir posts. In 1983 he was the Goddard Rep at the Santiago STDN station and was the NASA representative in Spain 1988-1992.)

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