President-elect Barack Obama has been picking the leaders of his cabinet during the past weeks and the time to appoint the new head of NASA has come. The No.1 pick on Obama’s list is a fighter pilot with lots of experience but almost unknown in the space community.

The man for the job (in Obama’s opinion) is retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jonathan Scott Gration. He is a close friend of the new President. Mr. Gration traveled with Obama through Africa in 2006 and was his military and foreign policy adviser during the presidential campaign.

"In the shadow of Nelson Mandela's prison cell, I saw a leader with the understanding to build new bridges over old divides," Mr. Gration said of Obama while talking about his trips through Africa.

As the post will be vacated next week by the current NASA chief, Mike Griffin, Maj. Gen Gration is poised to take command. However, many people are concerned about his lack of experience in the field of space programs. One of the most influential people who are against Obama’s pick is U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who sits on the committee that will hold confirmation hearings for the nominee.

Sen. Nelson urged the President-elect to reconsider his choice and pick someone with more space experience for the job. In call to the transition team Co-Chairman John Podesta, Sen. Nelson said he hopes Obama won’t make the same mistake President Bush did when he appointed Sean O'Keefe to head NASA in 2002.

"I hope President Obama's pick will have (a space program) background," said Mr. Nelson.

Although he may not have a space agency background, Mr. Gration is a man who understands how to cope with high-risk operations. Gration flew 274 missions over Iraq during and after the Persian Gulf War and he was on duty at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.