He's already been the acting director since March, but now it's official that NASA has named Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr., as the director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

From 2007 to 2009, Lightfoot was deputy director of Marshall and shared responsibility for managing the center. Marshall has played a critical role in advancing NASA's exploration mission, including leading development of the Ares I rocket and the Ares V heavy cargo launch vehicles and a lunar landing mission.

Lightfoot served as manager of the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office at Marshall from 2005 to 2007. He was responsible for overseeing the manufacture, assembly and operation of the primary shuttle propulsion elements: the main engines, external tank, solid rocket boosters and reusable solid rocket motors. In 2006, he was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives — the highest honor attainable for federal government work.

From 2003 to 2005, Lightfoot served as assistant associate administrator for the Space Shuttle Program in the Office of Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. His responsibilities included space shuttle return to flight activities, budget formulation and integration of shuttle infrastructure into NASA's initiative calling for new exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond. Other responsibilities included providing technical advice and recommendations on readiness and execution of the shuttle program, with a budget oversight of more than $3 billion.