County Clarifies Young Proposal Would Preserve Wallops Name

Pictured: A. Thomas Young, retired Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin, appears before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics to discuss proposed changes to NASA’s exploration program on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington. NASA/Carla Cioffi photo.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors is clarifying that its proposal honoring Eastern Shore native A. Thomas “Tom” Young applies only to the launch complex on Wallops Island, not NASA’s main Wallops Flight Facility campus.

The Wallops Flight Facility includes the main campus and the island launch complex. County officials say the proposal would add Young’s name to the launch site while preserving the historic Wallops name.

The July 15 resolution asks NASA to name the island site the “A. Thomas Young Space Flight Facility.” Its use of the word “rename” and its reference to the “Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island” caused confusion.

Supervisor Jeff Parks, Chairman of the Wallops Research Park Leadership Council who works with all the aerospace governmental agencies in the region, said the confusion stems partly from both the main base and island launch complex operating under the Wallops Flight Facility name.

“The resolution saying ‘rename’ instead of ‘name’ is also confusing, but all of this adds to the reason giving the launch site a name is a good idea,” Parks said.

Young, a Wachapreague native, held senior positions at NASA and in the aerospace industry. His work included the Lunar Orbiter and Viking programs, and he served as director of Goddard Space Flight Center.

The resolution is only a county request. Any official naming action would require NASA’s approval.