For the administrator of NASA, directing and overseeing America's space program is only part of the job. It also requires vision and salesmanship to launch new programs, and persuade Congress to appropriate the funding in tight budget times.

So it is that Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut and retired Marine Corps Major General known for his quick wit, is stumping in California, visiting NASA facilities, meeting with scientists, and making his case to the media and the American people.

Inspecting a spaceship newly arrived for testing at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Bolden explained on Wednesday the rationale in the post-space shuttle era for commercializing crew transport to low earth orbit and the International Space Station.

At SoCals Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Thursday, checking ion thruster development, Bolden spoke for a mission to capture an asteroid and redirect it for a rendezvous with astronauts.

And on Friday, Bolden will head to the Ames Research Center in the Bay Area to spotlight 3D printing and PhoneSat miniature satellites.

Putting a man on the moon nearly half a century ago was a tough act to follow, but no NASA program has been able to capture the nation's interest and enthusiasm as did the Apollo lunar landings.

Bolden sees the next big thing as manned exploration of our neighboring planet Mars, and he has boosters in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

Im delighted to hear the NASA administrator speak about Mars as the ultimate destination, at least in the next 20 years, for human exploration, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) said at Tuesday's hearing of the House Science Committee.

A tougher sell is convincing members of the House Science Committee that other programs advocated by Bolden, including an asteroid capture, contribute sufficiently to the Mars goal. Aviation Week quoted Space Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-MS) as saying it might instead be a detour.

Bolden is quick to disagree.

See the article here:

NASA Stumps For Asteroid Capture Mission