"I'm very pleased to have Ed officially accept a more long-term position as science chief," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "His leadership style and 26 years of headquarters experience will be vital to the success of upcoming science activities and missions."

Weiler will direct a wide variety of research and scientific exploration programs for Earth studies, space weather, the solar system and the universe, NASA officials said.

He was a member of the Princeton University space astrophysics research staff from 1976-78, when he joined NASA as a staff scientist. He became chief of the space agency's Ultraviolet/Visible and Gravitational Astrophysics Division the following year and also served as the chief scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979-98.

Weiler was then appointed director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in August 2004 after serving as associate administrator for the agency's Space Science Enterprise from 1998-2004.

A native of Chicago, Weiler earned his doctorate in Astrophysics at Northwestern University in 1976.