Bolden to be new NASA Chief.

According to the Wall St Journal, Charles Bolden is likely to be the new head of NASA. Bolden is an ex-Marine, who flew shuttle missions in the 80s.

This is a good move, in that it puts an ex astronaut at the helm, and will do much to bolster morale after the mess with Griffin. In theory, it reinforces a commitment to manned exploration, which is the glamor activity within NASA and is something that drives the people within the agency.

As defense expenditures decrease in the face of a diminishing desire to police the world, NASA will be there to pick up the slack wrt high value jobs and projects. Our aerospace industry needs NASA in order to evolve. So Bolden will certainly have his hands full. But, it's not entirely clear to me that he has the capacity to cultivate a "grand strategy" for moving the agency forward, and Ares I & II will certainly give him much grief.