Bolden Meets With Obama
Keith’s 15 Dec note: Charles Bolden is scheduled to meet with President Obama at the White House in the oval office on Wednesday at 3:05 pm EST. The topic for discussion is the Augustine Commission’s findings and their “non-recommendation recommendations”.
Keith’s 16 Dec update: Don’t look for a flurry of press releases, etc. coming from this meeting today. Alas, while many at NASA HQ (and the White House) would prefer that all the details of NASA’s new White House direction stay under wraps until the FY 2011 budget comes out in Feb. 2010, it is almost a certainty that things will start dribbling out soon. Stay tuned.
Keith’s 16 Dec update: The following brief exchange happened during a routine White House press briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:
“Question: The President met with the NASA Administrator today to talk about the Constellation program. Are the two in agreement now on about what to do with that program going forward? Has a decision —
Robert Gibbs: I have not gotten a read out from the meeting. But we’re trying to see what has come of their discussions. I don’t know that we’ll have a ton on this today. Obviously, the budget is being put together for next year. I know the most previous budget that was passed represented an increase in spending for NASA – and the President believes that NASA plays a vital role going forward.
Question: Has that decision been reached yet? Were the two [of them] were talking about it? Prior to the meeting, has the decision about Constellation —
Robert Gibbs: Let me get a readout from the meeting before I –“
Obama, NASA chief talk about goals, panel’s options, Huntsville Times
“Administrator Bolden met this afternoon with President Obama in the Oval Office,” [NASA Associate Administrator Morrie] Goodman said in an e-mail. “The two discussed the Augustine Commission’s study and analysis of the existing space program, which highlighted challenges. They also discussed options for how the country might improve its future human spaceflight activities. “The president re-confirmed his commitment to human spaceflight and space exploration as well as his goal of ensuring that the nation is on a sustainable path to achieving our aspirations in space.”
