Former Senator Bill Nelson Nominated to Lead NASA

Former Florida Senator Bill Nelson has been nominated to be the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator under the Biden administration. It is expected that he will be confirmed easily by the Senate, though his nomination hearing is still highly anticipated by the space science community as a way to learn more about how Nelson feels towards new and upcoming space policies such as commercial flight and establishing a permanent international lunar base.
 
Nelson served in the House of Representatives from 1978-1991, and then as Senator from 2001-2019. When serving in the House of Representatives, Nelson’s district included the Kennedy Space Center and during that time he served as the Chair of the House’s NASA Subcommittee. He later served as the Ranking Member of the Senate’s Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and before serving as Chair of the full Committee spent time as the Chair of the NASA Subcommittee.
 
Since leaving Congress in 2019 he has served as a member of the NASA Advisory Council. NASA Advisory Council members are chosen by the NASA Administrator to provide consensus advice and make recommendations. A full list of current Council members can be found at: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/nac/members/index.html