KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -- NASA announced Saturday Wayne Hale, Jr., manager of the space shuttle program, was reassigned to head the new department at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Hale managed the shuttle program since 2005, and had said he expected to be with the program until its planned end in 2010.
Hale would now be responsible for the transition between the shuttle and moon missions.
Neither NASA, nor Hale would comment on a reason for the change.
John Shannon, the deputy shuttle manager and a former flight director, was chosen to lead the shuttle program after Hale.
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