U.S. Senate panel could vote on Bolden Wed.

This from Eun Kyung Kim in Washington:

Charles Bolden, the former astronaut picked by President Barack Obama to become the next NASA chief, could be confirmed as early as tomorrow by a U.S. Senate panel.

Bolden received widespread support during his confirmation hearing last week before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Lori Garver, picked by Obama to be Bolden's deputy, also was expected to win approval by the panel.

Both nominees would still need to win final confirmation from the full Senate before they could begin their new jobs. That approval was expected by the end of the week.
If approved, Bolden would be NASA's first African American administrator.