Biden picks former senator who flew in area to steer NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — President Joe Biden has chosen a former senator from Florida who flew on the area shuttle simply days earlier than the Challenger launch accident to steer NASA.

Biden on Friday introduced his intent to appoint Invoice Nelson because the area company’s administrator.

Nelson, 78, grew up close to Cape Canaveral and was serving as a Democratic congressman when he launched aboard area shuttle Columbia in January 1986. His commander was Charles Bolden Jr., who later served as NASA administrator underneath President Barack Obama — at Nelson’s urging.

Nelson was elected in 2000 to the Senate, the place he served till his defeat in 2018.

If confirmed by the Senate, Nelson will grow to be NASA’s 14th administrator, succeeding one other former member of Congress, Jim Bridenstine, a Republican from Oklahoma.

This can be a essential time for NASA as momentum accelerates within the business area program.

SpaceX is about to launch its third flight of astronauts to the Worldwide Area Station for NASA; Boeing is anticipated be part of the crew supply effort later this yr. Area station provide runs, in the meantime, have been dealt with by personal firms underneath contract to NASA for almost a decade.

On the similar time, NASA is teaming up with personal firms to launch experiments and tools to the moon, and likewise lunar landers that might ship astronauts to the floor. Simply Thursday, NASA carried out a profitable check firing of the core stage of its SLS moon rocket — the Area Launch System.

The brand new moonshot program is called Artemis after the dual sister of Apollo, and intends to incorporate a girl on its first moon touchdown.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, endorsed Nelson for NASA’s high job.

“There was no higher champion, not only for Florida’s area trade, however for the area program as an entire than Invoice,” Rubio mentioned in an announcement. “His nomination offers me confidence that the Biden administration lastly understands the significance of the Artemis program, and the need of profitable the twenty first century area race.”

———

The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives help from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Division of Science Training. The AP is solely accountable for all content material.