Obama picks Charles Bolden to lead NASA

The nation’s turbulent space program will be run by one of its own, a calming well-liked former space shuttle commander.

President Barack Obama will name former space shuttle commander Charles Bolden to lead NASA, the White House said on Saturday, in the midst of a major shift in the U.S. human space program. Bolden, 62, a retired Marine general, flew on four shuttle missions before leaving the U.S. space agency in 1994 to return to the military. Bolden, who would become the 12th administrator in NASA’s 51-year history and its first black head, is seen as a strong advocate for human space flight. “I think it’s good news and good for the agency,” said Frank Siezten, a Washington-based space consultant. – from AFP