Shuttle manager leaving

last updated 8 January 2015

Houston

The leader of NASA’s space shuttle program is resigning, the Orlando Sentinel reported this week. Shuttle manager Ron Dittemore had been planning to step down after Columbia completed its flight on Feb. 1, but he decided to stay on after the craft broke apart as it returned from orbit, killing seven astronauts. “The accident was the wrong time to leave, so he rolled up his sleeves,” an associate said. Dittemore drew public praise for his candor in a series of briefings after the disaster, and for saying he should be the one held accountable if investigators find the accident was caused by something “we missed.”