Fletcher Takes NASA Reins in Midst of Crisis

WASHINGTON — James C. Fletcher took over the running of NASA today, in the midst of the space agency’s worst crisis, and predicted that “it won’t be long before we are flying again.”

President Reagan told him: “Jim, you are coming on board at a time when NASA and the country need you. We need a steady hand at the tiller. These past few months have been a stormy period for NASA and the space program of the United States.”

Fletcher, 66, was sworn in for his second tenure as chief of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by Vice President George Bush.

Space Shuttles Grounded

He takes over, from acting Administrator William Graham, at a time when the agency has virtually no way to get satellites into space. The space shuttles have been grounded since Challenger exploded Jan. 28, killing its seven-member crew. NASA’s reliable Delta rocket and the Air Force’s Titan also have been grounded by explosions this year.

“The new director will have a wide latitude in determining who runs his agency,” White House spokesman Larry Speakes said. “His job is to inspire the agency and to restore the credibility to the space program and get the space program rolling again.”

Fletcher had served as NASA administrator from 1971 through 1977, a time when Americans still were flying to the moon and circling Earth in a space station called Skylab.

He was the agency’s head while the space shuttle was being developed and encountered severe congressional criticism during his confirmation hearings for his overly optimistic projections about cost of the reusable spaceplane. But the Senate confirmed him 89 to 9.