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CAPE CANAVERAL – Even at the request of President-elect Biden’s administration, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine told Aerospace DAILY he would stop staying as head of the US space agency, not for reasons partisan but to ensure that, politically, NASA has the best chance of prospering under new leadership.
“The right question here is, ‘What is in the best interest of NASA as an agency, and what is in the best interest of the US exploration program? Bridenstine said on November 8, the day after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
“For that you need someone who has a close relationship with the President of the United States. You need someone who has the confidence of the administration…. including the OMB (Office of Management and Budget), the National Space Council and the National Security Council, and I think I wouldn’t be the right person for that in a new administration, ”said Bridenstine.
Outgoing President Donald Trump, who called on former US Republican Oklahoma Bridenstine to become NASA administrator in 2018, challenges the election result, even though it would require changing the current vote count for several states .
“We’ve had a lot of success, but it’s because of the relationships,” Bridenstine said. “You have to have these relationships. Whoever the president is, they must have someone they know and trust and someone the administration trusts. That person will not be me.
Bridenstine was at the Kennedy Space Center to welcome the SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts for a scheduled November 14 launch to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission will be the first to launch a US resident crew since 2009. It follows the success from May 30 to August 30. 2 SpaceX Demo-2 crewed flight test to the ISS as part of NASA’s 10-year Commercial Crew program.
“We are in a good position as a country. If you look at the bipartisan, apolitical support that we have from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle … there is strong support for Artemis, ”Bridenstine said, referring to the post-exploration initiative. ISS from the agency to extend human presence to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
“There is political agreement that America needs to do great things in space exploration, that we need to run the world,” Bridenstine said. “There have been lessons learned from the past and I think Congress is well positioned to ensure that we have sustainable programs going forward.
“The most important thing in my opinion is continuity of goals, and I think right now we have it as much as you can,” he added.
Bridenstine, 45, said he had not started to think about what his future held for him, including a possible role in the space industry. “I didn’t even start to think about it,” Bridenstine said, adding that he was planning to return to Oklahoma.
“After leading NASA, going from what I do to what I do next is going to be very difficult,” said Bridenstine. “It was by far the best experience of my life and I am very grateful for it. But I have no illusions. There are a lot of people who can do a great job as a NASA administrator. “
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