--- title: "Head of NASA Says Kamala Harris Really Gets Space" description: "NASA Head Bill Nelson this week showed admiration for VP Kamala Harris, referring to the presidential candidate as a \"space aficionado.\"" date: "2024-08-03" modified: "2024-08-03" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/head-nasa-kamala-harris" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "bill nelson" - "kamala harris" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Head of NASA Says Kamala Harris Really Gets Space ![NASA Head Bill Nelson this week showed admiration for VP Kamala Harris, referring to the presidential candidate as a "space aficionado."]() *\Image: Saul Loeb / Pool / Elijah Nouvelage / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* ## Brat Pack It looks like Vice President Kamala Harris is NASA-approved. Or at the very least, she's approved by the head NASA honcho. At a [*Politico* event this week](), NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recalled his "lengthy talks" with the Vice President — [officially]() the Democratic nominee for president for the 2024 election — about space, referring to Harris as a "space aficionado," in the context of [Nelson discussing]() Harris' current role as chair of the National Space Council, a position that tasks her with overseeing NASA and advising the president on matters of US space policy and strategy. "She's picked that up with gusto," Nelson said of Harris' space council chair takeover, [according to ]()*[SpaceNews]().* We're not saying Nelson is [coconut-pilled](), per se. But like it does any other government agency, a presidential election will likely impact NASA in any number of ways, whether through policy, funding, personnel, or otherwise. And that in mind, the US' top space chief expressing clear admiration for Harris's impact in her role in the White House's space strategy feels significant, especially considering that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — SpaceX being a [close NASA partner and a major US space contractor]() — has [endorsed]() former president Donald Trump for re-election in 2024. ## Ch-Ch-Changes Per *Politico*, Nelson also expressed enthusiasm for [Arizona Senator Mark Kelly](), a former Navy fighter pilot and NASA astronaut who famously [smuggled a gorilla suit]() onto the International Space Station, who's reportedly in the running as a possible vice presential candidate for Harris' ticket. "Yes, he would," Nelson told journalists when asked if Kelly would be a good VP, according to *Politico.* "I think Mark would be good at whatever." "Mark Kelly is, I would say, one of the most impressive people that I know," added Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper, who also spoke at the *Politico* event. "He's close to a national hero, so he'd be a perfect, amazing pick." It's unlikely that a Harris presidency would bring any significant change to the space policy of the current administration, which has generally been seen as a staunch [ally]() of NASA. (However NASA is slated for massive cuts to its 2025 budget, per the [Biden-signed Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023]() and a [newly-proposed House spending bill]().) Still, a new commander-in-chief always means changes — and NASA, of course, has skin in the game. "I think you should expect a continuation of a lot of policies should you have Harris win, but you still have to think of this as a transition," former VP of space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association Mike French told *SpaceNews*, "because at the end of the day, it's a new chief executive." **More on NASA:** [*Astronauts Hold Their Own Olympics on Board Space Station*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()