Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, DC                  March 13, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1780)

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  713/483-5111)

RELEASE:  96-49

LAWRENCE TO REPLACE PRECOURT AS NASA MANAGER IN RUSSIA

     Astronaut Wendy B. Lawrence (Commander, USN) will 
replace 
Charles J. Precourt (Lt. Col., USAF), as the NASA manager of 
operational activities at Star City, Russia.

     As Director of Operations, Russia, Lawrence will 
support training and preparations of NASA astronauts at the 
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Star City.  She 
also will be the primary link between NASA and the GCTC 
management, coordinating all training and other operations 
involving NASA or contractor personnel in Star City.

     Lawrence, the sixth astronaut to serve in this 
rotational assignment will continue to establish operational 
and managerial relationships with Star City management and 
Russian cosmonauts.  These relationships are pivotal to 
successful, long-term joint operations involving NASA, the 
Russian Space Agency and GCTC.

     Lawrence will leave for Russia this month and join 
fellow astronauts 
John E. Blaha (Colonel, USAF, Ret.), Jerry M. Linenger 
(Commander, Medical Corps, USN), C. Michael Foale, Ph.D., 
and James S. Voss (Col., USA), who are training in Star 
City.  Precourt will return to the Johnson Space Center to 
begin training as commander of the sixth Shuttle/Mir docking 
mission (STS-84).

     Lawrence, 36, was born in Jacksonville, FL.  For 
complete biographical information on Lawrence and other 
astronauts, see the Internet home page at:
     http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

                    -end-

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