Posey: Obama should name NASA chief soon

FLORIDA TODAY's EUN KYUNG KIM reports from Washington:

Rep. Bill Posey is urging President Barack Obama to name a new agency chief as soon as possible, saying NASA "cannot afford to remain without an administrator at this critical juncture."

The Rockledge Republican sits on the NASA House Action Team, co-chaired by Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

"Major decisions are being made that will greatly affect our nation's future in space," Posey wrote. "NASA is in the midst of making decisions about the phasing-out of the Shuttle program and how we move forward with America's next generation launch vehicle."

"If this transition is not done right, not only will thousands of American workers at the nation's space centers and their families be severely and adversely affected, but our nation's leadership in space will further erode," he wrote.

"As budget decisions are being made, it is vital to have someone sitting at the table that is knowledgeable about space and is looking out for the agency's future," Posey wrote. "I am also concerned that further delay in appointing an Administrator may lead some to conclude that space policy and our nation’s leadership in space is not a priority for the administration."

A handful of candidates have surfaced as replacements for former NASA chief Michael Griffin, including Steve Isakowitz, a former NASA official now with the Energy Department. Former NASA astronaut Charles Bolden Jr., and retired Air Force general Lester Lyles also appear to be on the shortlist.

The president has been "trying to get a hundreds officials in place in a new administration that's only been in office since Jan. 20," noted Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, who sits on the Senate panel that oversees NASA policy.

"The White House has told Sen. Nelson an announcement on a new administrator will be coming very soon, perhaps in a matter of days," McLaughlin said. "While he's not overly concerned that it's taken up until now - considering that the president in his first two months has been dealing with a global economic crisis and two wars – he doesn't want the decision to drag on much longer."

The new NASA chief would have to go through his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee - the panel Nelson sits on.

Part of the urgency for some is over a provision signed into law last year in the NASA Reauthorization Act that requires NASA to suspend any activity until April 30 that could preclude operating the Space Shuttle after 2010. That provision was included to allow Obama to evaluate the retirement date for the shuttles.

Although the president appears to stick with the original retirement schedule in the budget blueprint he released several weeks ago, he still could change his mind when his full budget is released to Congress next month.