I ended this morning’s interview with David Livingston with a little teaser — that I’d heard from someone fairly credible yesterday that Charlie Bolden was a short timer. I didn’t state it as a fact, but merely as an unsubstantiated, but not incredible rumor. I checked with someone fairly high at NASA HQ today, and they know nothing about it. For what this is all worth.
But if there is some news on this front in the coming days/weeks, you probably heard it here first. Which is also the case, of course, if nothing happens at all.
On a similar note, I’ve heard that the President may resign in the near future. I’ve also heard that he’s not going to do so.
My rumor’s bigger than yours — I win.
Perhaps the fairly credible someone got his space agency heads mixed up. There was a top-level management shakeup today, but it was at RSA, not NASA.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110429/163767992.html
Hey, I report, you decide.
Did the rumor of Bolden’s departure include anything for a rumored motive?
That aside, the RSA boss change is interesting. Wonder if it affects (or is related to) the RSA’s supervisor of manned mission’s little trial balloon about safety concerns and new commercial capsules the other day?
Did the rumor of Bolden’s departure include anything for a rumored motive?
No.
I didn’t mean for this to turn into twenty-one questions. I heard something in passing from someone whom I respect. I have no other information than I’ve provided, other than who I got it from, which I am not going to reveal.
Wasn’t going to ask you the other twenty anyway (grin)
Seriously, my guess would be there’s less here than meets the eye. Chances are Bolden is feeling a bit frustrated – he’d have to be superhuman not to at this point. He may well have just vented briefly in front of the wrong person. Rumors are often thus born… But this fight is only a bit over a year old, and he’s a Marine. Unlikely he’d give up so easily.
The other possibility behind such a rumor, that someone might be thinking of firing him, is also somewhat implausible. Where would they find someone else qualified and willing to take the job? NASA Administrator these days is not exactly a cushy assignment. More on the ah, challenging side of things.
That has been around since the Mission to the Muslims gaffe.
There’s a NASA reorganization going on in June… so if something is going to happen, that’d be when I bet.
It has been known for quite some time that Charlie wants to stay in the saddle until after the last shuttle has touched down, then it is off to spend time with the grand kids.
Your rumor mill is a several months old.
Never underestimate Obama’s penchant for throwing people under the bus. The 2012 election will be close and Bolden’s gaffes could come back to haunt Obama.
But politics aside, it really isn’t too uncommon for changes in management at this point in a presidency.
Obama has been making some major changes to his staff. Gibbs, Axelrod, Eikenberry, and Gates are all out and there are other swaps in top positions.
informed source Says: April 29th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
“It has been known for quite some time that Charlie wants to stay in the saddle until after the last shuttle has touched down, then it is off to spend time with the grand kids.”
So, if true, he would be “leaving to spend more time with his family”
Seems like I have heard that one somewhere before. 🙂
Which is also the case, of course, if nothing happens at all.
Did this suddenly morph into a climate change thread?
“Did this suddenly morph into a climate change thread?”
Lol ^^
I ran into General Bolden on Capitol Hill last month, as he was coming out of a Congressman’s office. The Congressman then turned to me and made a private comment regarding the substance of their conversation, which I won’t repeat here but it does pretty much exclude the possibility that General Bolden was thinking of resigning at that time.
Of course, people can change their minds in a month.
Of course, people can change their minds in a month.
They can do it in a minute, if the right person tells them they should.