Could NASA finally be getting a new commander at the helm? The Orlando Sentinel is saying that Steve Isakowitz, the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy, is now the frontrunner, attributing the information to ‘administration insiders.’

An aerospace engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Isakowitz has held posts at the CIA and at NASA, where he was a deputy associate administrator for space exploration.

With acting administrator Chris Scolese in charge ever since Mike Griffin left on 19 January, some are getting itchy for a sign from President Barack Obama that NASA hasn’t fallen off his list of priorities. About a month ago, it looked like retired Air Force General Scott Gration, a military adviser and campaign-trail confidante of Obama’s, was a lock. But that seemed to be held up, partly because of objections from key lawmakers. Other names that have been rumoured include two other retired generals: Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles, a member of the NASA Advisory Committee, and Marine Corps Gen. Charlie Bolden, a former astronaut.

The Sentinel says that Isakowitz is gaining key support from lawmakers such as Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. But one might want to ask Energy Secretary Steven Chu if he’s willing to let a key civil servant go just when he could use some help spending the DoE’s $40 billion stimulus package.