My Space Blog

Kosmas, the freshman Democratic congresswoman from New Smyrna Beach, caught up with the president flying back to Washington from Obama’s economic recovery speech in Fort Myers.

Kosmas said she invited the president, who described himself as a “space guy,” to join her for a space shuttle launch.

She said she also asked him whether he had decided who to appoint as the next NASA chief.

Read More at Florida Today…

I speculated yesterday that there was a connection between the NASA-Pentagon-Ares-EELV issue and the delay in appointing a new NASA administrator. Now the issue is being more fully reported in the Houston Chronicle.

It’s actually my thought that the appointment of a general may not be a bad idea.  Everyone respects generals and it’s not a given that one would be parochial about using a military vehicle.  Plus, two generals (Lew Allen, Pete Worden) have gone on to run NASA centers with great success.  Someone at that level may have the clout to stand firm against the powerful interests involved and actually make the right choices for the right reasons.  Here’s what the “Chron” had to say:

WASHINGTON — During the past few weeks, the names of three retired generals have floated around Washington and Houston as candidates for the top job at NASA.

Each time, though, aides to President Barack Obama failed to say whether they had selected the space agency’s administrator, and the guessing game continued.

Now, some supporters of the manned space program with ties to NASA say that one of the key reasons for the prolonged selection process is that powerful politicians and rival space contractors are maneuvering behind the scenes to influence the choice.

At stake is a multi-billion-dollar project to develop the Ares rocket for the space shuttle replacement.

Read the full Houston Chronicle article

This is fun, especially the part about the lunar rover.  Maybe the guy with the jet-pack was busy!

WASHINGTON — NASA astronauts who recently returned from a trip to the International Space Station will join representatives from across the country and the nation’s armed forces in the 56th Inaugural Parade.

The NASA contingent will include a next-generation lunar rover that astronauts will use for future exploration of the moon. The parade will travel down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington on Jan. 20 following swearing-in ceremonies for President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden. Many of the participating astronauts — Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe, mission specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff — flew on space shuttle Endeavour in November 2008 on the STS-126 mission.

Astronaut Mike Gernhardt will drive the rover. Astronaut Rex Walheim, wearing a spacesuit, will ride with him. The Lunar Electric Rover is a concept vehicle about the size of a pickup truck that NASA is evaluating for use when humans return to the moon. The rover can house two astronauts for as long as 14 days. The vehicle has many unique features, including the ability to move its six pairs of wheels in any combination of forward and sideways motions, enabling it to scramble over rough terrain.

NASA will record video during the parade from a camera mounted on the lunar rover. A member of the lunar rover team will provide live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed throughout the event.

NASA photographers and videographers will document the agency’s participation in the inaugural activities. Images will be posted online at the agency’s Web site when they become available.

For photos and more information about NASA and inaugural activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

and

http://www.pic2009.org

NASA Television will air a video file of the parade footage and the video recorded on the rover as soon as possible following the parade’s conclusion. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

To access the NASA News Twitter feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate

For more information about NASA’s Lunar Electric Rover, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/LER.html

For information about STS-126 and the next space shuttle mission in February, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle