President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida to lead NASA, settling on a longtime booster of the space program to lead the agency’s return to the moon, according to three people familiar with the decision.
If confirmed by the Senate, Nelson would lead the space agency as it partners with the new crop of private space companies to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface in preparation for sending astronauts to Mars.A Senate staffer and a second source familiar with the decision told POLITICO that the administration has picked Nelson, and that the announcement will come on Friday. Both sources spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak ahead of the formal announcement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that she had seen the reports, but did not have any personnel announcements to make, adding that serving as NASA administrator "seems like a cool job."aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, served as the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee during his 18 years in Congress, where he was instrumental in establishing many of NASA's current priorities.
For example, the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 that he co-sponsored ordered NASA to expand the commercial crew program, which launched its first astronauts to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule last year. Nelson also encouraged NASA to set the sights for human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit and the space station, including a mission to Mars.
While in the Senate, Nelson was also a vocal supporter of the Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket made by Boeing to bring astronauts to deep space destinations such as the moon that is years behind schedule and way over budget.to provide advice on the agency’s major programs and policies.
At 78 years? Lead NASA into the future? Bring in a new generation please.
Deeply disappointing choice POTUS for NASA. This is a role for a new generation of leadership like Lori Garver.
So he'll keep ULA alive even if they can't compete on price.... What's new?
STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO NOW!
A great choice. A smart man of honor, related experience, and dedicated to good works. NASA is lucky and so are we the people.
Good and pretty predictable and obvious choice but should just have won reelection and Bridenstine wasn‘t too Bad actually.
They should of picked Lori_Garver
Who gives a fuck. Thier are children going hungry. Fuck the moon fuck mars .
Horrible choice. The man is a living dinosaur. SpaceX has been kicking his ass since 2010, humiliating on each success they achieve. The man will bet everything on SLS which is obsolete, non-reusable and tremendous waste of taxpayers money. Horrible choice.
Isn’t there someone more qualified and younger ?
His 1 priority will be spreading money amongst FL 'aerospace contractors'... NewBlood octaviaspencer would be a better choice
Excellent choice.
Come on, let's put someone in there who is younger and knows wtf is going on. Nelson and Biden together couldn't point you to the moon on a clear night.
Sounds good to me.
Couldn't the WH find a younger space booster? Bill Nelson is long past his prime, for Christ's sake!
Wow! Another buddy. Figures. Put a woman in that position and she will get it done. A man will just talk about it.
May just be a good pick.
can they not find new people? whatever happened to passing the torch
Bill Nelson is a great choice.
We’ve already been there.
Humans should not be going into space.
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NASA Veterans Baffled by Biden Pick of Bill Nelson to Lead AgencyTom Williams/GettyPresident Joe Biden is nominating his old friend Bill Nelson to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), finally settling months of speculation.To some insiders, Nelson is a puzzling choice for a tough job. A former space-shuttle passenger who later served three terms as a U.S. senator representing Florida, the 78-year-old Nelson isn’t lacking in political experience. He has strong personal ties to Biden and the space industry.But he’s an old white man at a time when many space professionals are clamoring for younger, female leadership.Moreover, there’s something of a black mark on Nelson in certain space circles. Some longtime veterans of the U.S. space program still loosely associate the former senator with one of NASA’s greatest tragedies—the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986.Nelson flew on the shuttle mission directly preceding Challenger’s doomed launch—and his presence on that earlier shuttle compelled NASA to reshuffle the crew roster for future missions, including Challenger’s.Nelson’s nomination “kind of boggles the mind,” John Logsdon, a former NASA adviser and ex-director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told The Daily Beast.When Biden tapped a record number of women for top posts in his administration, many observers assumed he would also nominate a woman to head NASA. There’s no shortage of good candidates—among them, former space-shuttle pilot Pam Melroy and Ellen Stofan, director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.So it came as an unpleasant surprise to some when the reports rolled in that Biden was tapping Nelson. “I am disappointed that we won’t have more diverse leadership in the role,” Briony Horgan, a planetary scientist at Purdue University in Indiana, told The Daily Beast. Horgan helped NASA select the landing site for NASA’s new Mars rover Perseverance, which arrived on the red planet last month.It’s one of a number of high-profile missions on Oh cool, another old white guy WELL WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT .
Source: YahooNews - 🏆 380. / 59 Read more »
NASA Statement on Nomination of Bill Nelson for Agency AdministratorActing NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk released the following statement after today’s nomination by President Joe Biden of Bill Nelson to serve as the 14th NASA administrator: POTUS I miss Jim. 🥺 POTUS I love you guys. Semper Supra! POTUS 0 cares waste of money + rigged election
Source: NASA - 🏆 672. / 51 Read more »
Senate confirms former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson to lead NASAWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who once flew on the space shuttle, to be the next NASA administrator. Lawmakers agreed to President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the space agency by consensus late Thursday, without a roll call vote. Nelson will become NASA’s 14th administrator, succeeding another former member of Congress, Jim Bridenstine, a Republican from Oklahoma. Nelson currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council. Biden has brought expertise and experience back to government. This needed to be a person of color. NASA needs to do better. SMH I drove an F-150 for a while; Ford should make me CEO.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Vice President Harris Swears in NASA Administrator Sen. Bill NelsonSen. Bill Nelson took office as the 14th administrator of NASA Monday, after he was given the oath of office by Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. SenBillNelson VP First job to summarily dismiss the actions of blueorigin and Dynetics and restart the Human Landing System (HLS) cooperation with SpaceX, as the most forward-thinking and inspirational NASA program since Apollo. SenBillNelson VP He is not a Senator SenBillNelson VP 🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘 HELP US 🇨🇴 Colombia ColombiaEnAlertaRoja hrw ONU_derechos
Source: NASA - 🏆 672. / 51 Read more »
Sen. Bill Nelson Statement on National Space Council“The Vice President is the perfect person to lead the federal government’s space policy,' says Sen. Bill Nelson, who the U.S. Senate confirmed as our 14th administrator. Read Nelson's full statement about VP serving as chair of the National Space Council: VP No... Let us NOT plant our flag upon it. The moon belongs to no nation. It belongs to all that live within its influence, great and small. To defile such a place with petty political flags, banners, or territories would disgrace all mankind. VP 👍 VP Let’s send her ass to Mars!
Source: NASA - 🏆 672. / 51 Read more »