Live in orbit: Atlantis informed of Bolden nomination

Just before 11:30 a.m. EDT, NASA mission controllers informed the Atlantis crew of President Obama's nomination of Charles Bolden to lead NASA.

The news was first met with silence, due to an apparent communications hiccup.

Spacecraft communicator Greg "Box" Johnson - no relation to Atlantis pilot Greg "Ray J." Johnson - then repeated the information.

"Roger, thanks for the news on the announcement," mission commander Scott Altman replied. "I guess it wasn't any of us on the flight after all."

In a conversation with Obama on Wednesday from orbit, Altman asked if he had chosen someone serving on Atlantis.

"Just so we're sure, it's not any of us on the flight deck now, is it?" Altman said.

Earlier, Altman had joked to reporters that Atlantis mission specialist John Grunsfeld - an astrophysicist, former top NASA scientist and astronaut who has visited the Hubble Space Telescope three times - would make an outstanding NASA administrator.

"I'm not going to give you any hints," Obama laughed.

Obama said he couldn't disclose his choice since "I've got to have some hoopla on the announcement back here on Earth."

"I can assure you that it's a high priority of mine to restore that sense of wonder that space can provide, and to make sure that we've got a strong sense of mission, not just within NASA but for the country as a whole," Obama said.