Named in honor of R. Rhoads Stephenson for his significant contributions to the advancement of technology needed and used for the exploration of outer space by robotic spacecraft. A mechanical engineer by training, he was a deputy director at the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he was responsible for the development and application of technology which broadly supports the United States space exploration mission. He has published in the areas of earth-based tracking and orbit determination, orbit evaluation techniques, spacecraft attitude and articulation control, flight computers, telerobotics, space power and electric propulsion. (M 32788) _ _.