Retired Astronaut Could Be Next NASA Head
PHILLIPS: Well, a dangerous mission in more ways than one. The Shuttle Atlantis astronauts on their fifth spacewalk, finish up repairs on the Hubble telescope. It's the last-ever mission to Hubble. NASA says the more than $200 million in repairs should enable Hubble to peer into deep pace -- or deep space, rather, for another five to ten years. Astronauts are expected to set Hubble free tomorrow. But their return home could be a little dicey. NASA says that Atlantis could get hit by the space junk in Hubble's 350-mile-high orbit. In an unprecedented step, Shuttle Endeavour is on the launch pad, just in case a rescue mission is necessary. Despite the successful repair work on Hubble, NASA has been encountering some bumpy rides here on Earth. One reason: There's no one at the top of the space agency. Retired shuttle commander and Marine Corps General Charlie Bolden is expected to meet with the president today. And it's believed he'll be tapped for the job. Here's CNN's John Zarrella.</s>BRIG. GEN. CHARLES BOLDEN (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS, FORMER SHUTTLE COMMANDER: Hi, I'm Charles Bolden.</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Charlie Bolden, former astronaut, retired Marine Corps General is the right man at the right time, says U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.</s>SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Everybody in NASA would say that's right if Charlie is selected.</s>ZARRELLA: Bolden is viewed as a no-nonsense leader who puts a high priority on people. As NASA administrator, he would be coming to a space agency at a crossroads where people are a major concern. Within the next year and a half, the shuttle program will end. Thousands of space workers are likely to lose their jobs. The next generation vehicle won't be ready to fly humans for at least five years. President Obama has already ordered a review of that program to make sure NASA is going in the right direction and money is tight.</s>HOMER HICKLUM, FORMER NASA SCIENTIST: NASA is a can-do agency. You've got to give it a job to do and also the tools to do it, which means money. They need the money.</s>ZARRELLA: Bolden believes deeply that NASA must inspire young people toward careers in the sciences. Bolden took time to chat with kids when he helped launched a new shuttle exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was cool when the doors on top of the space shuttle opened up.</s>BOLDEN: The payload bay doors.</s>ZARRELLA: To Bolden, even this exhibit needed to be inspirational.</s>BOLDEN: And if we don't have a handful of kids every week that change their mind and start raising their hands when somebody says how many of you want to be astronauts, then we have failed miserably.</s>ZARRELLA: Bolden piloted two shuttles and commanded two others. As an observer, Senator Nelson, then a congressman, flew with Bolden on Columbia in 1996. Bolden also piloted the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. When NASA developed a new launch pad escape system for astronauts, Bolden tested it. He's the only astronaut who ever took the ride, a ride likely a lot easier than the one he would face at NASA.</s>PHILLIPS: John Zarrella is joining us now live from Miami. Well, it seems pretty obvious Bolden has a deep passion for education, John.</s>ZARRELLA: Yes, you know, he really does, Kyra. And every time that I have spoken with him, his biggest concern, his greatest concern, has been that there is a lack of inspiration from the space program, in getting young people to proceed in the math and sciences. He has said constantly, we have got to get more young people, through the space program, interested again, in the math and the sciences. And I think that's one of the things that, if he is tapped to be the administrator, he will absolutely do. And it's hard to believe he can't get people inspired. If you take a look at the live pictures coming down from the two spacewalking astronauts right now. That's John Grunsfeld through his helmet camera with a piece of hardened aluminum insulation that they are putting onto the space telescope right now. Just again, some spectacular pictures. They've had a few issues out there with the stuff that they've pulled off, which was like tinfoil, aluminum foil, flaking and flying off into space. They couldn't get it all into their space trash bags. But now, they are moving on. There's three of these blankets they had to replace with hardened blankets. Two more to go here. Here you can see, that's a hardened shell that they are putting on right now. This is the last space walk. This is the last item on the list that they had to accomplish. And they should be wrapping up here now, Kyra, in less than an hour in what everybody at NASA is viewing as one heck of a successful mission -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: All right. John Zarrella. Keep us updated on Bolden, would you?</s>ZARRELLA: Will do.</s>PHILLIPS: OK. Thanks. They survived combat, only to die once they returned home. We're going to tell you about what's happening to some troops who take the roads on motorcycles.