Black is the new black. :) On Sat, May 23, 2009 at 3:53 PM, ravenadal <ravena...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Second African-American Playmate. First African-American NASA Chief. Is > this a great country, or what? > > ~rave! > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@...> > wrote: > > > > HOUSTON - The nation's turbulent space program will be run by one of its > > own, a calming well-liked former space shuttle commander. > > > > > > < > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/23/charles-bolden-obamas-pic_n_207043 > > .html> President Barack Obama on Saturday chose retired astronaut Gen. > > Charles Bolden to lead NASA. He also named former > > < > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/23/charles-bolden-obamas-pic_n_207043 > > .html> NASA associate administrator Lori Garver as the agency's No. 2. If > > confirmed, Bolden, who has flown in space four times and was an assistant > > deputy administrator at one point, would be the agency's first black > > administrator. > > > > Bolden would also be only the second astronaut to run NASA in its 50-year > > history. Adm. Richard Truly was the first. In 2002, then-President George > W. > > Bush unsuccessfully tried to appoint Bolden as the space agency's deputy > > administrator. The Pentagon said it needed to keep Bolden, who was a > Marine > > general at the time and a pilot who flew more than 100 sorties in > Vietnam. > > > > "Charlie knows NASA and the people know Charlie; there's a level of > > comfort," especially given the uncertainty the space agency faces, said > > retired astronaut Steve Hawley, who flew twice in space with Bolden. > > > > Bolden likely will bring "more balance" to NASA, increasing spending on > > aeronautics and environment missions, working more with other nations in > > space, and emphasizing education, which the president often talks about > when > > it comes to space, said former Johnson Space Center Director George > Abbey, a > > longtime friend. > > > > "He's a real leader," Abbey said Saturday. "NASA has been looking for a > > leader like this that they could have confidence in." > > > > Bolden's appointment came during the tail end of the space shuttle > Atlantis' > > mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope one final time. He was the > > pilot on the flight that sent Hubble into orbit in 1990. > > > > Bolden, 62, would inherit a NASA that doesn't look much like the > > still-somewhat-fresh-from-the-moon agency he joined as an astronaut in > 1980. > > NASA now "is faced with a lot of uncertainty," Abbey said. > > > > Story continues below http://www.huffingtonpost.com/images/v/darr.gif > > > > Bush set in motion a plan to retire the space shuttle fleet at the end of > > next year and return astronauts to the moon and then head out to Mars in > a > > series of rockets and capsules that borrows heavily from the 1960s Apollo > > program. The shuttle's replacement won't be ready until at least 2015, so > > for five years the only way Americans will be able to get in space is by > > hitching a ride on a Russian space capsule. And some of NASA's biggest > > science programs are over budget. > > > > Earlier this month, the White House ordered a complete outside > examination > > of the manned space program. The Obama administration hasn't been > explicit > > about its space policy, with White House science adviser John Holdren > saying > > the policy would come after a NASA chief was named. > > > > "These talented individuals will help put NASA on course to boldly push > the > > boundaries of science, aeronautics and exploration in the 21st century > and > > ensure the long-term vibrancy of America's space program," Obama said of > > Bolden and Garver in a statement. > > > > Bolden, a native of Columbia, S.C., and his wife donated $750 to the > Obama > > campaign in 2008. > > > > At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where Bolden spent about a > > decade, his impending appointment was quietly cheered on all week long. > > > > The diminutive salt-and-pepper haired Bolden, who lives only a few miles > > from the space center, on Saturday morning said he couldn't talk until > after > > Senate confirmation. He was busy answering congratulatory e-mails from > home. > > He has his own consulting firm in Houston and sits on corporate boards. > > > > Those who have flown or worked with Bolden can't praise him enough. > > > > Retired astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz interviewed to become an astronaut > the > > same week as Bolden, was picked at the same time, and they flew together > on > > their first flights. > > > > Soon after that much-delayed launch of the space shuttle Columbia in > January > > 1986, Chang-Diaz looked at his friend Bolden and saw that the shuttle > pilot > > had a "big, big smile... we were kind of like kids in a candy store." > > > > Hawley and then-U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson were also aboard that 1986 flight. > > Nelson, now the chairman of the Senate subcommittee on space that will > > oversee Bolden's nomination and one of the people pushing Bolden's > > nomination to the White House, commented: "I trusted Charlie with my life > - > > and would do so again." > > > > Kathryn Sullivan was the payload commander on the 1992 flight of > Atlantis, > > which was Bolden's first of two shuttle commands. She said Bolden has all > > the aspects of leadership that a good chief requires. That includes > > experience, wisdom and the ability to listen to all sides. She called him > > "one of the finest people I've ever known." > > > > "Charlie's a great leader," Chang-Diaz agreed. "He takes care of his > team." > > > > ___ > > > > On the Net > > > > Bolden's NASA biography: http://tinyurl.com/2eln82 > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Post your SciFiNoir Profile at > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYahoo! > Groups Links > > > > -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
