Charlie Bolden Rumored to be White House Pick to Run NASA
MSNBC reported that Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden (USMC, Ret.) is President Obama’s choice to head NASA. Gen. Bolden is a highly respected former NASA astronaut and marine aviator. He currently serves on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and on the National Research Council’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board.
His name surfaced early after the election along with several others as a possible successor to then-NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. Many news stories have credited Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) as the major backer of Bolden for the position. The two flew together on the space shuttle in 1986 on the STS-61C flight just before the Challenger tragedy. Bolden’s nomination would have to be approved by the Senate. Senator Nelson chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Subcomittee on Science and Space that would recommend approval of the nomination to the Senate.
The MSNBC report was based on information from an anonymous Obama administration source so may or may not be accurate. NASA supporters have been waiting patiently since the inauguration for someone to be named to lead the agency on a permanent basis. Christopher Scolese is serving as Acting Administrator.
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