NASA Administrator Reportedly Surprised At Anger Directed His Way

The Obama administration's desire to hand the reigns of human space flight over to private companies is running into stiff opposition on Capitol Hill, and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is finding his management style the subject of some intense criticism as well.

Bolden made the rounds on The Hill last week, testifying before House and Senate committees about the Obama administration's NASA budget. The Wall Street Journal reports that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said Bolden was not assertive enough in crafting the new budget. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) went so far as to accuse Bolden of allowing his deputy, Lori Garver, to draft NASA's new direction. Garver is an outspoken proponent of commercial space ventures.  "I don't think you were the originator or prime architect," Sen. Vitter said to  Bolden, who said he could not refute the Senator's statement.

Lawmakers, of course, are trying to protect thousands of aerospace jobs in their states or districts. Some members of Congress feel the administration blindsided them when it recommended outsourcing U.S. human spaceflight programs to private companies. Some say Bolden (pictured, right) should have taken a more active role in keeping both congressional leaders and industry players more up-to-date about the potential changes. Arizona Democrat Gabrielle Giffords chairs the Science subcommittee that oversees NASA. She said last week that making such sweeping changes "without consulting with members [of Congress], without talking to the defense industry [and] without building a coalition...is hard to stomach."

Not everyone on the commercial side is on the bandwagon, either. The WSJ reports that Scaled Composites' Burt Rutan sent a letter to some lawmakers saying he doesn't think private companies have the incentive to take astronauts beyond low-earth orbit. Rutan pointed out that there has  not been a new manned spacecraft for 20 years, and that "the new plan almost guarantees another decade or two of the same behavior."

There is some indication that there will compromise on the NASA budget, as Congress has already adopted language that will keep administrator Bolden from starting, modifying, or scrapping any major program without getting specific approval from the legislature.

FMI: www.nasa.gov