Pity Charles Bolden. He is going to be a man at the centre of huge change for the world's most famous space agency and his background does not necessarily qualify him as head of what is essentially a government research and development organisation.
If he becomes NASA's administrator he will have a budget we already know will be eroded by inflation, have to retire the Shuttle fleet and its workforce, sign an expensive Russian deal for US International Space Station crew transport because of the Shuttle's end, suffer vocal space science community lobbying and Congressional pressure about aeronautics under funding, preside over a divisive review of US human spaceflight plans and be second-guessed by high-profile bloggers - something that his predecessor was the first to experience and resent.
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© NASABolden and Nelson, rear right and centre, go back a way |
One positive decision Bolden could claim is the expected increase in the ISS's working life from 2016 to 2020. But with a flat budget that decision will end the USA's hopes of returning to the Moon by 2020. Every decision Bolden can make is bound to draw overt criticism or counter briefings to the media from one quarter of the US space community or another.
The favourite of Democratic party senator for the state of Florida, Bill Nelson, Bolden and the politician flew together on a Shuttle flight. And Nelson put a video on his website extolling Bolden's virtues before the White House even posted its nomination press release.
Bolden was a US Marine Corps aviator who became a NASA astronaut, returned to the military and rose to the position of major general before going into industry. Now he could oversee a $17 billion bureaucracy of scientists and engineers spread across 10 centres in eight states with priorities split between rocket development, science and aircraft.
Bolden was not even President Barack Obama's first choice. The US media blamed Nelson for the early rejection of a number of the Obama administration's candidates and this apparent partisan pressure could see Bolden face a tough US Congress.
His time in industry does not help either. He has worked for companies that have a vested interest in NASA's Constellation programme. This potential conflict of interests is made worse because by August that programme will be judged under Obama's review of US human spaceflight plans.
If Bolden's appointment is confirmed he'll need all the steel that comes of being a US Marine.
Source: Flight International
