NASA and Kennedy Space Center looking for a new champion after Bill Nelson's defeat

Recount in Florida: Bill Nelson concedes after the manual recount. Rick Scott goes to the Senate

Before the recount: On polling day, Rick Scott won an ultra-thin victory over Bill Nelson

"Second" recount in Florida: It was smoother than the 2000 presidential recount, but corrections are needed

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At a critical juncture in 2010, while the Obama administration was seeking to cancel NASA's back-to-the-moon program, Nelson had negotiated a bipartisan compromise with Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.

The agreement allowed NASA and its main subcontractors to develop a "monster rocket" and the Orion crew capsule for the eventual launch of missions into space in space. Astronaut launches to the International Space Station have been outsourced to Boeing and SpaceX business partners.

Bingham suggested that this legislation establish a framework that will maintain continuity in the absence of Nelson, thus offering KSC the opportunity to continue to attract more launches.

The attributions of the committees for the next congress are not yet known.

Although Scott shares Nelson's passion for space, he is unlikely to be a candidate for a leadership position as a freshman.

These partnerships were secured and the ribbon cutting was celebrated, despite occasional frictions with KSC or NASA leaders.

NASA did not support the state's proposal to create an independent launch site on the KSC property, jeopardizing Blue Origin's commitment. Nelson played a crucial role in aligning an alternative platform on the Air Force property that satisfied the company founded by Amazon.com billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Space Florida criticized KSC's master plan and perceived obstacles to commercial operations, and defended the idea of ​​an independent authority to manage the spaceport.

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Whether they won or lost, politicians provided many emotional moments on election night.
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Scott's experience with Space Florida, combined with his conservative ideology and small government, would seem to make him a less thoughtful NASA advocate than Nelson, perhaps considering him as one of many ripe federal agencies for reform.

This makes some to KSC anxious. But outside analysts expect Scott to support the center and space programs in a broader way, even if it is less vocal and fiery than Nelson.

Some see it as an opportunity, thanks to his past support for public-private partnerships and his close relationship with President Trump.

"This will help Florida's space interests," said Muncy, who expects Scott, Rubio and others to form a new team to support and develop the space economy of the country. Florida.

Bob Walker, a lobbyist who had previously sat in Congress with Nelson, said Scott would likely support the Trump space program, which aims to expand commercial partnerships such as those that launch cargoes and soon crews of the space station, and which have increased the number of launches in Florida.

So-U.S. Representative Bill Nelson boarded mission STS-61C of the space shuttle Columbia in January 1986. Astronaut Robert Gibson (lower right corner), commander, is surrounded, in the opposite direction of clockwise, from the upper right corner: the astronaut Charles Bolden, pilot; Nelson, payload specialist; Robert Cenker, payload specialist at CAR; and astronauts Steven Hawley, Franklin Chang-Diaz and George Nelson, all mission specialists. (Photo: NASA)

"Bill Nelson was very attached to many of NASA's traditional programs and NASA's traditional subcontractors, but that's not the wave of the future," Walker said. "It is clear that it is space specialists who are more innovative at the moment, and this president wants NASA to adopt this type of new direction and use it as the foundation for its programs of research and exploration. "

This direction has implications for the future of the space station, for which Trump proposed to end direct federal support in 2025 but Nelson wants to extend it until 2030. And for NASA's late Space Launch System rocket, which remains a target for criticism but support of the administration.

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NASA has released its promotional video "We Are NASA" on November 16 at the European Service Module event organized at the Kennedy Space Center.
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As governor, he said, Scott has supported space as a driver of economic development, and he will remain so as a senator if NASA pleads for long-term investment in exploration and science.

"You lose Nelson with these deep roots and decades of support for the space program, and you replace him with a person who may not be as supportive on the surface," Jewett said. "I would be more specific about the importance of NASA and the space program for the US economy and for the Florida economy."

Contact Dean at 321-917-4534