A Senate staffer and a second source familiar with the decision told POLITICO that the government has selected Nelson and the announcement will come Friday. Both sources spoke in the background as they were not authorized to speak prior to the formal announcement.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that she had seen the reports but had no personnel announcements, adding that serving as a NASA administrator “seems like a cool job.”
Nelson, 78, who himself spent six days in orbit when he flew to space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986, served as the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during his 18 years in Congress, where he was instrumental in setting many of NASA’s current priorities.
For example, the 2010 NASA Authorization Act, which he co-sponsored, mandated NASA to expand the commercial crew program, which launched its first astronauts to the International Space Station last year aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. Nelson also encouraged NASA to direct manned space flights beyond low Earth orbit and the space station, including a mission to Mars.
While in the Senate, Nelson was also an outspoken supporter of the Space Launch System, a heavy rocket created by Boeing to take astronauts to far-flung space destinations like the Moon, which is years behind schedule and well over budget.
After losing his reelection, Nelson was appointed to the NASA advisory board in 2019 to provide advice on the agency’s major programs and policies.
In addition to returning astronauts to the Moon, NASA is gearing up for anticipated pressure from the Biden government to expand the space agency’s Earth science missions as part of a wider effort to address climate change and its impacts, such as rising sea levels. that were a pinnacle. priority for Nelson in his home state.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that climate change and sea-level rise are endangering people’s lives and their properties. It’s a reality,” Nelson said on the Senate floor in 2018. “The real question is, what are we going to do about it? “
But as a career politician, Nelson also has a background in which he himself has expressed concern, perhaps not best suited to lead the traditionally impartial agency.
In the Senate, Nelson was one of the most ardent critics of then President Donald Trump’s choice to lead NASA former Representative Jim Bridenstine. During Bridenstine’s lengthy confirmation process, Nelson expressed concern that Bridenstine’s partisan positions would divide the agency.
Nelson will likely be depressed during the confirmation process as to how he reconciles that opposition with his own eligibility for the top post.
But a counter-argument is likely that a politician who has relationships with lawmakers in both parties on Capitol Hill and has close ties to the president could be an effective steward of the space program.
If you have someone like Senator Nelson who has decades of experience and a personal relationship with the president, they will have a different ability to express their reaction or response to the budget process. … That will have a very real impact, ”said Mike French, the vice president of space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association. “For me, the most important thing is that you are able to manage and promote the interests of the agency … regardless of your background.”