WIKIMEDIA, UNITED STATES CONGRESSAlong party lines, the US Senate has confirmed Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) as the new head of NASA today (April 19). The approval comes after a drawn-out nomination period during which senators questioned his qualifications—Bridenstine was a pilot and politician, but never a scientist.
“The NASA administrator should be a consummate space professional, that’s what this senator wants,” Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who opposed the nominee, said yesterday, according to Politico. “That space professional ought to be technically and scientifically competent, and a skilled executive.”
Bridenstine was a Navy pilot, who has represented Oklahoma’s first congressional district since 2013. Science reports that as NASA Administrator, Bridenstine has his work cut out for him, including dealing with a delayed telescope launch and another planned telescope the White House wants to abandon. The New York Times notes that under President Donald Trump’s administration, NASA has set its focus on returning humans to the moon.
Trump nominated Bridenstine in September 2017, following the departure of Charles Bolden upon the President’s inauguration. Robert ...
