“I want to thank Administrator O’Keefe for his service to NASA.  He led the agency during some trying times.  However, his successor is going to have some serious problems to address.  These include returning the Shuttle to flight safely, dealing with the financial and cost management issues that continue to plague the agency, ensuring that adequate resources are provided to maintain a world-class workforce and infrastructure, and reconciling the agency’s goals with the constrained budgets it is likely to be facing in the years ahead.  I hope that the White House will move quickly to nominate an individual with the managerial and technical skills that will be needed for the challenges ahead.”