Former astronaut (Charles F. Bolden) likely to be new NASA chief

Source: MSNBC

Former astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. will meet with President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday morning and likely will be appointed the new NASA administrator, a senior administration official told NBC News on Thursday.

If he is chosen as expected, Bolden, a veteran of four spaceflights with more than 680 hours in Earth orbit, would be the first African-American appointed to NASA's top post. Bolden retired from the Marine Corps in 2003 as a major general.

Bolden was born in segregation in South Carolina but his grades earned him an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. There, Bolden was elected president of his class before earning his Naval Aviator wings and becoming one of America's outstanding fighter and test pilots as well as an astronaut.

<...>

The administration official discussed Bolden's likely appointment with NBC News on condition of anonymity because there was no official authorization to speak about it publicly.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30753761/

---

Finally, an astronaut in charge!

A lot of space enthusiasts are going to be very happy about this. This MAY mean that manned space flight isn't going to be axed after all.

The wingers think that Republicans are good for space, but the reality is the exact opposite. Bill Nelson is said to have played a part in this. And he's a Democrat who looks out for his manned flight constituants more than any other.

said a lot of good things.
The video is about 90 minutes:
May 14, 2009
An Overview of the Federal R&D Budget for FY 2010
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2454

than those required to be an astronaut.

Test pilots inevitably are exposed to the discipline of engineering program management ... it is a way to keep them in the loop and informed on major engineering decisions. Over the years, NASA admin has been more of a political role ... and a lot of people feel that has been a factor in the decline of the agency.

He just might have some experience and skills in managing large and highly technical organizations.

Granted I'm no NASA expert but the man is a former astronaut and major general of the Marines which means he's one tough sonofabitch who knows how to lead.

Isn't the current (or is it now former?) head of NASA some fundamentalist whackjob?