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NASA will apparently have a new leader after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.
NASA Administrator Jim bridenstine will not remain in the agency’s lead role in the Biden administration even if asked, the Aerospace Daily & Defense report reported on Sunday (November 8).
“You need someone who has a close relationship with the President of the United States … someone you trust from the administration … including the OMB [Office of Management and Budget], National Space Council, National Safety Council, “Bridenstine told Irene Klotz, space editor for Aviation Week, parent publication of Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.” I don’t think I would be the right person for that in a new administration. “
Klotz’s story is behind a paywall, but she posted on Twitter a series of quotes that broadcast Bridenstine’s reasoning – including the quote above, that you can find here– and his thoughts on the future of NASA. For example, Bridenstine seems optimistic about the future of NASA and US space exploration more generally.
Related: Presidential visions for space exploration: from Ike to Trump
“You need someone who has a close relationship with the President of the United States … someone you trust from the administration … including the OMB, the National Space Council, the National Security Council. I think I wouldn’t be the right person for that in a new administration –BridenstineNovember 8, 2020
“There is political agreement that America needs to do great things in space exploration, that we need to run the world … There have been lessons learned from the past, and I think Congress is well positioned to ensure that we have sustainable programs in the future, ”he said one of the tweeted excerpts. And in another, he pointed out that “there are a lot of people who can do a great job as a NASA administrator.”
It is far too early to speculate on Bridenstine’s successor; the Nov. 3 election results have yet to be certified, after all, and space policy is likely to be low on President-elect Biden’s priority list as he kicks off his administration. (President Trump has yet to concede and dispute the results, but his lawsuits and all the recounts that take place are unlikely to change the result, experts say.)
“There is political agreement that America needs to do great things in space exploration, that we need to run the world… There have been lessons learned from the past and I think Congress is well positioned to ensure we have sustainable programs for the future. https://t.co/QoZzDQYBEUNovember 8, 2020
Bridenstine took the oath as NASA Administrator in April 2018 and led the agency through 2.5 turbulent years. Meanwhile, for example, NASA Artemis program crewed lunar exploration has started. Artemis aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2024 and establish a lasting human presence on and around the moon by 2028, helping to pave the way for manned missions to Mars in the 2030s.
NASA also launched the InSight Mars missions, the Perseverance rover and Parker Solar Probe on the Bridenstine watch. And the agency’s ten-year drive to foster the development of private astronaut taxis comes to fruition in what appears to be its final months of work. SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts on a test flight to the International Space Station last May and is preparing for the November 14 launch Crew-1, the first operational flight with a company contracted crew to the NASA orbital laboratory.
Mike Wall is the author of “Over there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book on the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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