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Who I am
Hi! My name is Doug Lyons. I am a Shuttle Test Director at Kennedy Space Center. I live in Cocoa Beach, Florida with my wife Jenny and our 18-month-old daughter Hannah. Jenny also works at Kennedy Space Center and is a Space Team Online member.

What I Do
As a Shuttle Test Director I perform duties associated with launch countdown planning and execution. I chair what is known as the Launch Countdown Working Group, which is responsible for planning all the activities in the 3 1/2 day shuttle countdown. There are many Shuttle and Space experts in the Launch Countdown Working Group such as astronauts, Shuttle Systems Engineers and Test Conductors, Flight Directors, range personnel and, of course, our payload customers. As you can imagine, there are many considerations in preparing for a launch, and this group addresses those issues in the planning stage. Once this group has completed its work, we generate procedures that we will use during the countdown and very detailed schedules that address the work that we need to accomplish.

The next stage is the countdown stage. We have a team of Test Directors that manage and direct all of the activities of the countdown. The Test Directors work with and manage the test conductors and system engineers throughout the entire countdown, right up to when the launch pad is cleared and the external tank on the shuttle is ready to be filled with cryogenic propellants (Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen). At that point we meet with our managers to address any technical issues and assess our progress. If we are cleared to proceed, I am then "On console" in the Launch Control Center (LCC). I am responsible for directing the execution of the terminal countdown timelines and managing the countdown clock. There are approximately 250 people in the LCC involved in the countdown at this point.

We have decision points throughout the countdown and work together as a team to determine if it is safe to proceed with the launch or if we need to hold and evaluate a problem. At T-9 minutes, I make a final report and launch team recommendation to proceed to the Launch Director. The Launch Director will then confer with other Shuttle managers and make the final decision to proceed with the launch.

My Career Journey
I graduated from " Killian" High School in Miami in 1982. After high school, I continued my education at Georgia Tech and graduated in 1987 with my B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. Immediately after college, I hired on with NASA Kennedy Space Center as an Operations Engineer working in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). I continued my education and received my Masters degree from the University of Central Florida in 1990 in Industrial Engineering.

What I like Most about my Job
I like the team work and camaraderie that is associated with my job. Launching the shuttle is a huge team effort - everyone is working toward a common goal and is totally committed to success. On board each Space Shuttle, there is a flight crew that is relying on our expertise to make the right decisions and ensure their safety and mission success.

Personal Information
I enjoy water skiing, spending time at the beach, scuba diving and snow skiing. We do most of our snow skiing in Colorado.