Who Will be NASA's Administrator?

One of the names that had been bouncing around as the new Administrator is retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration, one of his advisors during the campaign. However, not everyone was happy with this name, including Senator Nelson from Florida.

So, what is the situation today? Well, the Major General will be going to Sudan after being selected as a special envoy. President Obama stated "Standing alongside Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice, his appointment is a strong signal of my Administration’s commitment to support the people of Sudan while seeking a lasting settlement to the violence that has claimed so many innocent lives." Interestingly enough, the Major General was born in Congo. This is good news for Sudan, but what about NASA?

Also, maybe this is not where the Major General wants to be. The New Republic notes that "...Gration originally had his heart set on running NASA. Obama tried to put him there until defense lobbyists scotched the idea."

So who else is on the NASA list? Other names have been U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, a former space shuttle commander; Charles Kennel, who chairs the National Academy of Science's Space Studies Board; Alan Stern, former NASA associate administrator for science; Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Research Center; Wesley Huntress, former NASA associate administrator for space science; and Steve Isakowitz, who was recently reappointed chief financial officer at the Energy Department.

According to The Washington Post, President Obama said he will make a selection any day now. We shall see, since he had orginally planned to this before the inauguration. The Congress is certainly getting impatient, as the letter below demonstrates.

Bipartisan Letter Expressing Need for an Administrator Who Will Minimize the Spaceflight Gap

Dear President Obama:

We write to you as Members of Congress with an abiding interest in the important contributions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA has been a leading catalyst for innovation and technology development and has enjoyed over 50 years of broad public interest and strong bipartisan political support. The agency’s work is linked to larger issues facing our country such as national security, climate change and American competitiveness. Currently, NASA faces numerous time-sensitive challenges and needs decisive leadership.

One of the most important issues facing NASA and our nation is the impending retirement of the Space Shuttle, and the subsequent five year gap in independent U.S. access to the International Space Station before the Ares 1 and Orion systems can be deployed. This issue has been identified by the Government Accountability Office as one of thirteen ‘urgent’ items for your administration to address. As you know, this issue is linked to our economic recovery since the gap could result in layoffs for several thousand highly skilled aerospace engineers and technicians over the next two years.

We believe it is imperative for NASA to have a leader who understands the implications of a five year or longer hiatus in America’s independent access to space. The new NASA Administrator should grasp the broad strategic and international aspects of NASA’s mission, as well as the technical, budgetary and programmatic tradeoffs that lie ahead. We urge you to keep these issues in mind as you search for a NASA Administrator candidate with the right background, integrity and focus on minimizing the spaceflight gap and preserving the agency’s cutting edge science and aeronautics programs. Maintaining a focused policy and providing the necessary funding to allow NASA to succeed are essential to the technological advances and scientific discoveries that benefit all Americans.

We fully recognize the difficult challenges our nation faces, and we believe that a focused and properly funded NASA can aid our national economy and contribute to our shared goals of sustaining our technological edge and competing on a global stage.

We look forward to working with you and a new Administrator to ensure a robust, successful NASA. We stand ready to work together with you and continue providing the nation’s civilian space and aeronautics agency our steadfast support.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL)
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
John Culberson (R-TX)
Al Green (D-TX)
Parker Griffith (D-AL)
Ralph Hall (R-TX)
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Pete Olson (R-TX)
Bill Posey (R-FL)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL)

Source: Office of Rep. Suzanne Kosmas