Richard E. Halpern, NASA Official, 78, Washington Post

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/05/AR2009120502999_3.html

Richard E. Halpern NASA Official

Richard E. Halpern, 78, a senior NASA official who was a top science manager
on Spacelab, the international space station and other manned and unmanned
NASA projects, died Nov. 25 [2009] of heart ailments at his home in
Bethesda.

Mr. Halpern worked at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory before joining NASA in
1963. He was director of the agency's high-energy astrophysics program
during the early planning for the space station, an orbiting laboratory.

In the late 1970s, he was program manager for three launches of the
High-Energy Astronomy Observatory, which made important discoveries in
astrophysics. From 1986 until his retirement in 1989, he was director of the
space station's utilities and operations division.

He received a NASA medal for exceptional service in 1978 and the space
agency's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal, in 1980.

Richard Elliott Halpern was born in Jersey City and grew up in Washington.
He was a graduate of Coolidge High School and the University of Maryland,
where he also did graduate work in nuclear engineering. He served in the Air
Force in the 1950s. He was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public
and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1968 and 1969.

His marriage to Marcia Pelmont ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Barbara Vellmerk-Halpern of
Bethesda; two sons from his first marriage, Stephan Halpern of Greenbelt and
Michael Halpern of Rockville; a daughter from his second marriage, Kathrin
V. Halpern of Washington; three sisters; and two grandchildren.

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Matt Schudel