DeLay: President’s Choice for NASA the Right One; Dr. Griffin Will Implement Bold New Vision for Space Exploration

WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today applauded the president’s choice of Dr. Michael D. Griffin as the new NASA administrator.

“President Bush’s choice for the new administrator of NASA is the right one.  By choosing Dr. Griffin, President Bush has proven his ongoing commitment to implementing a bold new vision for space exploration.  Dr. Griffin will propel NASA into the next phase of America’s mission in space,” DeLay said.

“Dr. Griffin and I share the president’s vision of a bold space program based on human space flight and exploration, and I look forward to working with him and the president to help NASA send our astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars,” DeLay concluded.

Griffin comes to NASA from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he served as head of the Space Department.  Griffin previously served at NASA under President George H.W. Bush as the associate administrator for exploration.  He holds seven degrees in physics, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, civil engineering, and business administration.