U.S President-elect Barack Obama has added a Virgin Galactic adviser and two more former NASA officials to the team leading the transition at the U.S. space agency.

The selection of Alan Ladwig, NASA's associate administrator for policy and plans under U.S. President Bill Clinton; Ed Heffernan, then-NASA Administrator Dan Goldin's chief of staff; and George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society and senior adviser to Virgin Galactic; brings the number of NASA transition team members to five.

Lori Garver, who replaced Ladwig as associate administrator for policy and plans in 1999, and Roderick Young, Goldin's one-time press secretary, were named to the NASA the transition team Nov. 14.

Ladwig was manager for space systems consulting at Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc. of Reston, Va., but resigned that post Nov. 14. Whitesides is on leave from both of his positions and Heffernan, who most recently was vice president of government relations for Safeco of Seattle, is between jobs, according to associates.

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