Amid tensions, Obama offers NASA spot in parade

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced on Wednesday that NASA will participate in the Jan. 20 inaugural parade.

The announcement, which comes just days after the Orlando Sentinel reported icy relations between the transition team and the space agency, could signal a thawing of sorts. NASA says it needs billions more in funding to smooth the transition to a new generation of space shuttles, but so far President-elect Barack Obama has equivocated on the multibillion-dollar price tag.

"The inclusion of NASA in the inaugural parade speaks volumes about President-elect Obama's long-standing admiration and appreciation of America's space program," said Shin Inouye, a spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "These astronauts represent the best of our country, and their accomplishments continue to inspire Americans of all ages."

The Endeavor crew, which spent 16 days in space last month installing new equipment on the International Space Station, will march in the parade. Joining the crew will be a small pressurized lunar rover like the one that will be used when NASA hopes to return to the moon in 2020.

This won't the first inaugural parade for NASA, Inouye said. President Bush had a model NASA shuttle from Houston in his 2001 parade, and Jimmy Carter's 1977 celebration included a NASA float. The Apollo 8 astronauts and members of their NASA team attended Richard Nixon's 1969 inauguration. His parade also included a full-size model of the lunar landing craft.

Check out the blog Lost in Transition, a joint effort of Government Executive and National Journal.