Gration To NASA... Maybe

Reports have President-elect Obama nominating retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration to take over as the next NASA administrator. Announcement of the choice could come as early as today, which would be the first time a NASA chief was named before the inauguration of the president doing the naming.

Gration has no particular background in space, but he is seen by those who know him as a leader who knows how to manage a large organization. He was an advisor to Obama on military and security policy during the campaign.

Speculating on what this nomination might mean suggests President Obama might intend to keep the formulation of space policy-- as seems to be the case with economic policy-- inside the White House. Gration would then be a loyal aide who knows how to get things done. That's certainly not a bad approach. Picking a NASA chief so early could also signal Mr. Obama's interest in space policy, even though that hasn't been clear before. Time will tell.