Charles Bolden, a rather dapper looking former NASA Astronaut, has recently been named as Obama's Space Agency Chief.  If confirmed, Charles Bolton will be only the second astronaut to hold the position. There is, however, a possibility that Bolton will not be nominated, as he has lobbied for rocket companies. According to the BBC, his biggest challenges as chief if he is confirmed will be the budgetary restraints imposed by the current financial crisis.

Apparently, the United States is now dependent on Russia to fly us into orbit, a situation that I'm sure many never saw coming. To shed some light on the current  situation, Science Magazine relays that, "An expensive new launcher is now in the works to replace the space shuttle, due to retire next year, but its projected costs are rapidly rising."

A few days before the announcement, President Obama spoke to the astronauts on board the Space Shuttle about the future of the Space program, saying, "But I can assure you that it's a high priority of mine to restore that sense of wonder that space can provide and to make sure that we've got a strong sense of mission, not just within NASA but for the country as a whole".

Reactions from Space magazine's readers appear to be mixed. Most seem to be happy with Bolden, but unhappy about the second-in-command appointee, Lori Garver. There is also speculation about what Bolden's specific position on Ares will be and whether or not this choice was more politically than technically motivated.