In the US, President Barack Obama is set to nominate former space shuttle commander Charles Bolden as the first African American head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The White House announced the decision on Saturday amid a major shift in the US space program. The 62-year-old retired Marine general served in several technical and administrative posts at the space agency, before returning to the military in 1994. He has also flown in space four times. If Obama's nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Bolden will become the first black administrator in the space agency's 51-year history. And also the second astronaut to hold the post.

(CCTV May 25, 2009)