Tough Responsibilities await new NASA Chief

While the media has gone crazy discussing who would become the next NASA Chief, there are certain tough responsibilities, which await the man in question. John Logsdon, a space policy expert at George Washington University claims that the job “may be one of the most difficult right now”. Especially after the Columbia disaster which he helped in inspecting for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

United States President George Bush nominated Michael Griffin, current head of the space department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for the coveted post. His first priorities if selected would be to lead NASA as it continues to recover from the loss of space shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003.

He would also have to look into the Space Exploration programs of the current government to explore moon and Mars with the limited resources Senate has provided NASA with in the National Budget. In addition, he also has to undertake the job cuts planned to streamline NASA�€™s working force.

Michael Griffin, the man in the hot seat has a doctorate in aerospace engineering and five master’s degrees. He also has extensive experience in the aerospace field. This makes him an experienced man capable of leading the NASA. Louis Friedman, executive director of the Planetary Society spoke to the media about this job hunt: “The person who wants to be NASA administrator must be extremely naive or extremely optimistic.�€� Griffin believes he fits that description.