Lampson: not asked, but would be honored to serve

As previously noted, former congressman Nick Lampson is now rumored to be under consideration for the NASA administrator’s job. Lampson is in Colorado Springs for the National Space Symposium, so I asked him about those reports after a press conference by the Coalition for Space Exploration to announce its new board of advisors (which includes […]

Giffords on “space guy” Obama

In her speech Thursday, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords also talked about going to the White House earlier this week to be a part of the teleconference Preisdent Obama had with the crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station. Besides calling Obama “so fabulous”, she said that she believes that the president is […]

The three things Rep. Giffords is looking for in a NASA administrator

Thursday morning Women in Aerospace hosted a breakfast at the Library of Congress featuring Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), chair of the space and aeronautics subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee. Much of her prepared remarks dealt with general space policy issues, as well as the need to get more women into the […]

Maybe he is serious

I noted here earlier this week that the “Colbert controversy”—what to do about naming Node 3 of the ISS after comedian Stephen Colbert won an online poll run by the space agency—attracted the attention of Rep. Chaka Fattah, who argued that NASA should bend to the will of the people (or, at least, the voters) […]

An early mark(er) for shuttle life extension

This week the Senate Budget Committee released its “Chairman’s Mark” for the FY2010 budget resolution, which included a few paragraphs about NASA. This passage in particular caught the attention of shuttle advocates, particularly in Florida:

NASA currently intends to retire its Space Shuttles at the end of 2010, after completing the current manifest of […]

Briefly noted

While the White House hasn’t announced a pick for NASA administrator, space enthusiasts can look on the bright side: President Obama did spend about a half-hour talking about space with ISS and shuttle astronauts, peppering them with questions ranging from their work installing solar panels on the station to how they check email. The issue […]

And then there were… none?

Of the four people on the previously-announced “shortlist” for the NASA administrator job, we know now that Steve Isakowitz is remaining at the Department of Energy and Scott Gration has been tapped to be a special envoy to Sudan. That would seem to leave two candidates: Charles Bolden and Lester Lyles. Or does it? The […]

Isakowitz is definitely out

If anyone had any doubts about whether Steve Isakowitz was still in the running to become NASA administrator, the White House wiped them away with an announcement about a new set of nominations. No, the administration didn’t announce their pick for NASA administrator, but did announce a number of selections for posts in the Energy […]

“Don’t even go there”

On Thursday morning the Space Transportation Association hosted a breakfast with Mike Coats, director of NASA JSC. Most of his talk focused on work at the center, including workforce and project management issues at the center. He did note, though, a concern about the lack of a NASA administrator and the uncertain future of aspects […]

More developments in the quest for a NASA administrator

Florida Today reports that a group of House members, the NASA House Action Team, has written to the White House to request that the president announce a NASA administrator as soon as possible. The letter appears similar to the one Congressman Bill Posey sent last week; Posey is also a member of the NASA House […]