--- title: "The Head of NASA Is Quitting After Trump Defeat" description: "NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is planning to step aside once president-elect Joe Biden is taking over, according to Aviation Week." date: "2020-11-09" modified: "2020-11-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-head-quitting-trump-defeat" categories: - "Future Society" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "artemis" - "jim bridenstine" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # The Head of NASA Is Quitting After Trump Defeat ![NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is planning to step aside once president-elect Joe Biden is taking over, according to Aviation Week.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Stepping Down NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is planning to step aside once president-elect Joe Biden takes over, [according to *Aviation Week*](). "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?'" he told the site over the weekend. "For that, what you need is somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the United States," he added, noting that some key figures would need to be "trusted by the administration," and that he would not "be the right person for that in a new administration." ## Key Relationships Bridenstine became NASA administrator back in 2018 after serving as a Republican representative for Oklahoma. During his relatively short tenure, key public-private industry ties have blossomed into significant advancements in the agency's plans to return astronauts to the Moon. In fact, on Saturday, the agency is planning to send the [first ever operational crew]() to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. "There is a political agreement that America needs to do big things in space exploration, that we need to lead the world," Bridenstine told *Aviation Week*. "There have been lessons learned from the past, and I think Congress is in a good position to make sure that we have sustainable programs going forward." ## Next Steps It's still far too early to talk about who his successor will be. "This has been the greatest experience of my life by far, and I'm so grateful for it," he said in the *Aviation Week* piece. "But I am under no illusions. There are a lot of people that can do great work as the NASA administrator." **READ MORE:** [NASA Chief Plans To Step Aside Under Biden]() \[*Aviation Week*\] **More on Bridenstine:** *[NASA and Europe Officially Sign Deal to Build Orbital Moon Base]()* ## 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]()