Accomack Supervisors pass resolution asking to rename the Wallops Flight Facility honoring Eastern Shore Space Pioneer

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution  Wednesday to request that the Wallops Flight Facility be renamed in honor of A. Thomas Young.  Young is an Eastern Shore native who helped shape America’s space program and later led one of the nation’s largest aerospace companies is being remembered for a remarkable career in science and engineering.

A. Thomas Young, born in Wachapreague, joined NASA in 1961 and quickly became a key figure in the agency’s planetary exploration efforts. Young helped lead the Lunar Orbiter missions, which mapped the Moon for the Apollo program, and later served as mission director for Project Viking, the historic 1976 mission that successfully landed spacecraft on Mars.

During his two decades at NASA, Young rose through the ranks to become director of the Goddard Space Flight Center, overseeing major scientific and space exploration programs.

In 1982, Young moved to Martin Marietta, where he held several executive positions before becoming the company’s president and chief operating officer. When Martin Marietta merged with Lockheed Corporation in 1995, Young became an executive vice president of the newly formed Lockheed Martin.

Young received NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal and later chaired independent reviews of major space initiatives, including the James Webb Space Telescope.

His career bridged government space exploration and private aerospace innovation, leaving a lasting impact on both NASA and the American aerospace industry.

Several years ago, Young retired to a home on Cedar Creek near Onancock where he continues to reside.