Space analysts, who have asked since January who President Bush would pick to head NASA, now wonder whether anyone wants the job.
A new NASA chief would work for an administration that favors military uses of space and offers no prospects for an increased budget during the next four years.
The White House is known to favor an administrator from the private sector, but salary could be a complication as the job pays markedly less than those held by aerospace industry executives. Most experts speculate the post is best suited to someone who has significant savings and political aspirations.
The only thing certain so far, however, is that NASA Administrator Dan Goldin has survived scores of rumors that had him packing his bags as soon as President Bush was inaugurated.
Bob Walker, a member of Washington-based The Wexler Group consultants, said the deliberations showcase the slow pace of finding an administrator candidate and checking their backgrounds thoroughly. Besides, he said, lower-level Bush appointees, such as Chief of Staff Courtney Stadd, have been steering the agency well as Goldin remains at the top.
"The agency is in good hands," Walker said. The former Pennsylvania congressman has been mentioned several times as a possible replacement, but he said Friday he discouraged the administration from approaching him for the position.
The hunt is hampered by several factors, according to Bruce Mahone, Aerospace Industries Association spokesman:
The Bush administration has a clear focus on the military uses of space, remaining vague on any direction for the civilian NASA. The only major space policy announcement has come from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who said the Pentagon will prepare for space as a battlefield.
"Dan Goldin has been so high-profile that he will be a hard act to follow." Goldin made publicity a hallmark of his term and is adept in Washington and international politics.
The agency faces a number of problems, including coping with a $4 billion cost overrun on the International Space Station project. Anyone who takes the job could find a term marked by cleaning up after others.
The salary for a NASA chief is 10 to 100 times less than aerospace executives make. The administrator position pays about $140,000 a year with no bonuses. Boeing's CEO was paid $15 million in salary and stock options in 2000.
"I think it is going to take a visionary, committed individual to take the job," Mahone said. "The only thing we've heard from the administration is they want NASA to continue the programs and stay on budget."
Walker said the cost overrun will be the biggest challenge.
"That's going to give the new administrator tremendous headaches because it makes your operations budget even more strained," Walker said.
Michele James, president of the Los Angeles-based executive consulting firm Avery James, said the position would appeal to executives with sizable nest eggs and political ambitions.
"It's a logical stepping stone, and a good one," James said. "It's a matter of identifying the right person to lead NASA and the right person for the administration."
Either political ambition or a sense of public service would be needed as motivation for whoever takes the job. An executive's "whole package is usually so large that the government really can't compete," James said.
The Bush administration is packed with millionaire former executives who returned to public service, including Vice President Dick Cheney.
Goldin has done everything in his power to keep the job. While he is highly regarded in the aerospace industry, several developments have sapped his clout on Capital Hill:
His "faster, better, cheaper" regimen has fallen under criticism from inside the agency for not being defined. Outside the agency, it's been seen at times as ineffective.
The losses in 1999 of Mars Climate Observer and Mars Polar Lander.
The cancellation of the $1.3 billion X-33 prototype.
The $4 billion cost overrun on space station Alpha.
Goldin would not respond to questions about his uncertain future with NASA affecting his work or the agency as a whole.
The longer the wait continues, the more anxiety NASA employees will face.
"It's obviously not a good thing, but it's on automatic pilot," Mahone said. "That can work over a few years, but over time you can drift off doing silly things."
Walker said NASA's long-term goals depend on who sits at the top.
"There is going to have to be somebody in that job to define the priorities," Walker said.
Published under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2001 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of
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