What is William R. Lucas?
[[File:WilliamRLucas2.jpg|right|200px]] '''William Ray Lucas''' (March 1, 1922 &ndash; February 10, 2025) was an American [[NASA]] official and chemist. He was the fourth Director of the [[NASA]] [[Marshall Space Flight Center]]. He was director from June 15, 1974 to July 3, 1986. He was known for his handling of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster]]. Lucas was born in [[Newbern, Tennessee]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/management/center_directors/pages/lucas.html |title=NASA biography |access-date=2020-09-24 |archive-date=2019-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714112919/https://history.msfc.nasa.gov/management/center_directors/pages/lucas.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lucas died at his home in [[Huntsville, Alabama]], on February 10, 2025, at the age of 102.<ref>{{cite web |title=William R. Lucas |url=https://www.laughlinservice.com/obituaries/William-R-Lucas?obId=37292874 |website=Laughlin Service Funeral Home, Inc. |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/us/william-r-lucas-dead.html|title=William R. Lucas, Official Blamed in Challenger Tragedy, Dies at 102|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 21, 2025|accessdate=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, William R.}} [[Category:1922 births]] [[Category:2025 deaths]] [[Category:American chemists]] [[Category:Scientists from Tennessee]] [[Category:American centenarians]] {{US-bio-stub}}