Donald L. Savage
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                
September 17, 1992
(Phone:  202/453-8400)


RELEASE:  92-151

NASA SCIENTIST AWARDED RUSSIAN MEDAL FOR SPACE ACHIEVEMENT

     Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., Director of NASA's Solar System 
Exploration Division, Washington, D.C., last week received the 
Korolev Medal, awarded by the Russian Federation of Astronautics 
and Cosmonautics for achievement in space research.

     Dr. Huntress received the award at the sixth annual meeting 
of the U.S./Russia Joint Working Group on Solar System Exploration 
held in San Francisco.  The award citation recognized his "great 
contribution to the development of Russian-American cooperation in 
solar system exploration."  Recipients of the Korolev Medal have 
included cosmonauts, scientists and key individuals who have made 
significant contributions to space research.

     "I'm especially pleased that Dr. Huntress has been recognized 
for this prestigious award," said Daniel S. Goldin, NASA 
Administrator.  "It is another symbol of the close working 
relationship between NASA and our colleagues in the Russian 
Federation and the high level of esteem with which they -- and we 
--  regard him."

     Dr. Huntress currently is responsible for leading the 
nation's planetary science and exploration program, including the 
ongoing missions of Ulysses, Magellan and Galileo and the upcoming 
Mars Observer mission.

     Dr. Huntress has been Director of NASA's Solar System 
Exploration Division since July 1990.  Prior to that, he served 
for 2 years as Special Assistant to the Director of the Earth 
Science and Applications Division.  He came to NASA Headquarters 
after a 20-year career as a scientist at the Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where he participated in a number of 
projects including the Giotto Halley's Comet, the Comet Rendezvous 
Asteroid Flyby and Cassini missions.

     At JPL, Dr. Huntress and his group gained international 
recognition for their pioneering studies of chemical evolution in 
interstellar clouds, comets and planetary atmospheres.

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