--- title: "Biden Reportedly Picks Former Astronaut as a New Head of NASA" description: "According to anonymous sources, president Joe Biden is eying Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) for the role of NASA administrator, The Verge reports." date: "2021-03-18" modified: "2021-03-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/biden-reportedly-picks-former-astronaut-new-head-nasa" categories: - "NASA" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "jim bridenstine" - "joe biden" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Biden Reportedly Picks Former Astronaut as a New Head of NASA ![According to anonymous sources, president Joe Biden is eying Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) for the role of NASA administrator, The Verge reports.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## New Admin, Who Dis According to anonymous sources, president Joe Biden is eying former Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) for the role of NASA administrator, [*The Verge* reports](). The nomination comes at a very important and turbulent time for NASA. The agency is accelerating its efforts to return American astronauts to the Moon as part of its Artemis mission — and as soon as 2024. The Biden administration has yet to roll out any detailed space policy agenda since Biden was elected two months ago, *The Verge* points out. According to its sources, NASA will be publicly announcing the nomination later this week. ## Space Nelson Nelson has spent time as US senator from Florida for three terms, where he was long time supporter of NASA's efforts. He's also an astronaut himself, having flown to space in 1986 as a payload specialist on board the Space Shuttle Columbia. The former senator would be taking over for Jim Bridenstine, who [announced]() in November following the 2020 presidential elections that he would step aside once Biden took over. Steve Jurczyk has since served as [acting NASA administrator](). "The right question here is ‘What’s in the best interest of NASA as an agency, and what’s in the best interest of America’s exploration program?'" Bridenstine [told reporters at the time](). "For that, what you need is somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the United States," he added. **READ MORE:** [Biden to tap former Senator Bill Nelson as NASA chief]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on NASA:** *[NASA Releases Beautiful New Renders of Lunar Gateway Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()