NATION : Truly Nominated as NASA Chief

Rear Adm. Richard Truly, who helped rebuild the shuttle program after the Challenger disaster, was nominated by President Bush today to be the first former astronaut to serve as NASA administrator.

Bush presided over a White House ceremony presenting the successor to James Fletcher, who retired Friday from his second stint as agency chief after returning in the wake of Challenger.

Although Truly, 51, was a clear choice to take the reins of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the White House has yet to name someone to the agency’s No. 2 post.