FLORIDA, USA — Former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is back in the spotlight after being nominated for NASA administrator by President Joe Biden.
Rumblings of his anticipated nomination first surfaced in February when multiple outlets reported the "leading space program advocate in Congress" was being considered to sit at the helm of the organization he has lauded over the years.
The White House's announcement Friday makes the nomination official, but the position is not guaranteed. The fifth-generation Floridian still needs Senate confirmation to become the 14th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Prior to the official announcement, Congressman Charlie Crist offered Nelson his well-wishes on Thursday.
"Congratulations to my good friend @SenBillNelson, our new NASA Administrator. From the Sunshine State to the stars!" U.S. Rep. Crist tweeted.
Breaking Defense Magazine on Twitter reported that Pam Melroy is "on deck" to be Nelson's deputy.
In a release from the White House, the Biden administration listed Nelson's four decades in public office and his contributions to space as elements of his nomination.
And the former senator's appreciation for space is not something he has been shy about over the years. The 78-year-old politician even had the chance to launch beyond Earth's atmosphere himself in 1986. At the time, he was the second sitting member of Congress to travel into space as a crewmember on the 24th flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
The experience led him to give an impassioned speech on the Senate floor in 2018 where he used space as a message for unity.
"Looking back at Earth from the window of a spacecraft you don't see political divisions, you don't see racial divisions and you don't see religious differences," he said, in part. "Instead, you quickly realize that we on this planet, our planet Earth, are all in this together."
"Most every piece of space and science law has had his imprint," the White House wrote, in part.
Over the years, Nelson has chaired the Space Subcommittee in the House, and Space and Science Subcommittee, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in the Senate.
He now serves on the NASA Advisory Council.
"In the Senate, he was known as the go-to senator for our nation’s space program," the White House added.
His pending approval in the Senate would come at a busy time for NASA. April is the target month for both the Crew-1 splashdown and the Crew-2 launch. Not to mention, NASA just landed its Perseverance Mars 2020 rover on the red planet to search for signs of past life.
Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk released the following statement on Nelson's nomination:
“I’m pleased President Biden has nominated former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson to lead our agency. Bill has a proven history of supporting our work here at NASA, and has helped advance America’s position in human exploration, science, aeronautics, and technology. While the Senate must confirm the nomination, I look forward to continuing to work with Bill and the Biden-Harris administration to carry out NASA’s many critical missions in the years to come.The men and women at NASA are an incredible national asset and will continue to take on the most pressing issues facing our country. As we look to the future – and with Bill at the helm – we will continue to take on and find solutions to problems once thought unsolvable, and educate and inspire the next generation of American scientists, engineers, and workers.”
As for how Nelson would cross the president's radar for the role?
Nelson and Biden, who occupy the same political party, have also shared a friendly relationship over the years.
Biden has taken up for Nelson on the campaign trail in the past, while the former Florida senator recently backed Biden in his push to become the 46th president of the United States.
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