WASHINGTON -- Media representatives are invited to participate in a teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT, Oct. 11, for reaction to Monday's anticipated signing of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 by President Barack Obama.

The President is expected to sign the bill later this afternoon after it was passed overwhelmingly by Congress last week. It provides bipartisan support for NASA's new direction in space exploration.

Participants in the media teleconference include:

* NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
* NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
* U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida
* U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, Florida's 24th District
* Former Augustine Committee member, physicist, and former astronaut Sally Ride

Media representatives who want to participate in the teleconference should contact Katherine Trinidad either by telephone at 202-281-8171 or email at katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov. The teleconference also will be made available on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

Keith's note: The news media got 90 minute advance warning about this. Today is a Federal holiday. Why not wait until tomorrow when everyone is around - and so that people can actually participate?

Keith's update: I was unable to participate in this telecon due to its last minute scheduling. However I have spoken/exchanged email with multiple media participants who did. Mr. Bolden made a brief statement and then left. He was therefore not available to answer questions from the media. How anyone can characterize this as "participation" in a media teleconference baffles me.

Mr. Bolden seems to be uninterested in playing a personal role in the agency's engagement with the media, the public, or his workforce. First he schedules foreign travel of dubious value to the agency at a time when thousands of his employees are being laid off and critical congressional battles are being fought. Then he goes out of his way not to make himself available to the media after the President signs this critical legislation into law. How much longer is this going to continue? Phoning in and doing flyby appearances is not what the agency needs right now.

Oh yes, this bill passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support - often times with Republicans being more supportive of the legislation than members of the President's own party. Yet were there any Republicans participating in this media telecon? No.