William Thomas On March 19, President Biden announced his nomination of former congressman and senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to be NASA administrator. [164] In May 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis said that voter databases in two counties had been successfully penetrated ahead of the 2016 presidential election. In a shift from that custom, Mr. Trump nominated Jim Bridenstine, a congressman from Oklahoma who had previously run a small space museum in Tulsa. Elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, he served six terms (197991) as a representative for Floridas 9th and 11th congressional districts. [103] 11 years later, Charles Bolden (NASA administrator in 2010) commented that Nelson's skepticism was common in Congress at the time and refused to call him an opponent of commercial crew. The House Armed Services Committee is advancing new proposals to improve how quickly the Defense Department can leverage new technologies, in line with the aims of subcommittee chair Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) to focus on near-term capabilities and spur the adoption of commercial innovations. "[121], In 2006, Nelson met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus at the recommendation of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group to try to improve US-Syria relations and help stabilize Iraq. Nelson has often stressed the depth of his home-state roots, pointing out that he is a fifth-generation Floridian. Will Florida's senator bat 15-1 or 14-2? physical sciences for the benefit of humanity. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. nonprofit and private sectors. Nelson represented Orlando and Florida's Space Coast in the U.S. House of Representatives before eventually moving to the Senate in 2001, where he served three terms before then-Gov. [123][124], Following the destruction of Kosmos 1408 in an anti-satellite weapons test by Russia, Nelson stated that "With its long and storied history in human spaceflight, it is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only the American and international partner astronauts on the ISS, but also their own cosmonauts", and the "actions are reckless and dangerous, threatening as well the Chinese space station". You further agree to our, Fusion Ambitions Running Up Against Budget Caps, ITER Troubles, US Semiconductor R&D Initiatives Readying for Launch, Expansion of National Quantum Initiative Pitched to Science Committee, Gallagher Advances Agenda to Accelerate Near-Term Defense Technology, Leadership Turning Over Across DOE Science Office and National Labs, DOE Launches Inertial Fusion Energy Program After Ignition Breakthrough, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, AVS: Science & Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processing. [61] According to ratings by the National Journal, Nelson was given a 2013 composite score of 21% conservative and 80% liberal. In 1988, Nelson published a book about his space flight experience entitled Mission: An American Congressman's Voyage to Space. Introduced in 2013 and again in 2015, it would keep guns from people with suspected terrorist links. [26] He won reelection in 1974 and 1976. Following Lawrence Livermore National Labs fusion breakthrough last year, DOE is creating new research hubs to stimulate advances in inertial fusion energy and is funding a pair of companies developing inertial fusion reactor concepts through a separate program dedicated to nurturing the nascent fusion industry. Bill Nelson weighed 270 lbs (122 kg) when playing. He ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary, which took place on August 28, 2018. [40] In May, when the party found itself unable to recruit a candidate who could defeat Harris in the primary, many Republican activists admitted that the race was already lost. He won the election with 52% of the vote over State Rep. Tim Ireland's 48%. However, given its expense, the role of SLS in Artemis has also come under scrutiny and the broader question of how NASA should integrate its own efforts with commercial ventures will remain pressing. After starting his law practice in Melbourne, Florida, in 1970 and working as a legislative assistant to Gov. President Biden has shown an interest in space, putting a moon rock collected by astronauts on the last Apollo mission in 1972 on display in the Oval Office in the White House and chatting with scientists and engineers running the Perseverance robotic rover, which landed on Mars last month. Former President Donald J. Trump had set a goal of the first astronauts arriving by the end of 2024, but that was widely regarded as unrealistic even if Mr. Trump had been re-elected. 06/10/2021 07:17 PM EDT. Member Societies, we convey a unifying message for stakeholders in government, academia, the Mr. Bridenstine was barely confirmed in April 2018, more than seven months after his nomination was put forth. During the campaign, the younger Nelson tried to highlight Chiles' age and use of Prozac to treat his depression, but this proved to be an unpopular strategy, and Nelson lost by a wide margin, getting 30.5% of the vote to Chiles' 69.5%. Updated: 03/18/2021 02:35 PM EDT. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The Senate confirmed him on April 29, 2021. Nelson, who spent six days in orbit aboard the space shuttle. 2965", "Senate Vote 281 Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', "H.J.Res. 2010 - 2017 7 years. Name: Bill Nelson: State: Florida: Party: Democratic: Born: September 29, 1942: Entered Office: January 3, 2001: Vacated Office: January 3, 2019: Contact: Contact . When rumors spread in February that Mr. Nelson would be nominated, Simon Porter, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., posted a harsh reaction on Twitter, calling Mr. Nelson an incredibly dumb choice for NASA administrator. [3], A paper by scholars at the MIT Election Data and Science Lab concluded that the design of Broward County's 2018 general election ballots may have resulted in Nelson receiving 9,658 fewer votes than he otherwise would have received (which would have narrowed Scott's margin of victory but not changed the result of the election). Former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), President Bidens nominee for NASA administrator, spent most of his career in Congress and led panels responsible for space policy over a total of 14 years. Jim Bridenstine speaking to the crowd at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in 2019. lost his bid for re-election to a fourth term in 2018, the rocket had a successful engine test on Thursday, SpaceXs Starship, currently under development, NASAs plans to turn to commercial companies, Perseverance robotic rover, which landed on Mars, the administration supported NASAs current Artemis program, widely regarded as unrealistic even if Mr. Trump had been re-elected. [117], In March 2017, Nelson co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Senate Bill 720, which permits U.S. states to enact laws that would require contractors to sign a pledge saying that they would not boycott any goods from Israel, or their contracts would be terminated[118], In December 2017, Nelson supported President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Senator (FL) Bill Nelson RE: Gun Control", "Sheriff Jerry Demings, Sen. Bill Nelson call for tougher gun laws", "Bill Nelson on gun control laws: 'The NRA won again' - Florida Politics", "Sens. When Democrats took over the Senate in 2007, Nelson became the subcommittees chair and held the job for eight years. Clarence William Nelson II, better known as Bill Nelson, is an American politician, lawyer, and payload specialist, who served as the US senator from Florida from 2001 to 2019. He lost his re-election campaign in 2018 to Republican Governor Rick Scott. He remained a member of the U.S. House of Representatives until 1991. Before becoming a science writer, he was a graduate student whose research involved the control of chaos. ", "Bill Nelson, Senator for Florida - GovTrack.us", "How Bill Nelson shook up the Gorsuch confirmation fight", "America's Most and Least Popular Senators", "G.O.P. [89] Shortly afterwards, citing intelligence sources, Nelson said there was apparently "a link to Islamic radicalism," perhaps ISIS. Who Is Bill Nelson? President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida to lead NASA, settling on a longtime booster of the space program to lead the . As a congressman, Mr. Nelson flew on a space shuttle mission in 1986. "[131], Nelson spread misinformation via Twitter after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, falsely claiming that shooter Nikolas Cruz wore a gas mask and tossed smoke grenades as he shot people. In January 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of U.S. Congress to fly in space, after Senator Jake Garn, when he served as a payload specialist on mission STS-61-C aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. [49][50] He faced incumbent Florida Governor Rick Scott (a Republican) in the general election on November 6, 2018. He was later elected Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal of Florida, serving from 1995 to 2001. As chairman of the committee in the House of Representatives that oversaw NASA, he said that experience helped provide insight into the agency. "[101], In March 2010, Nelson complained that President Obama had made a mistake in canceling NASA's Constellation program. But Mr. Bridenstine stepped down on Jan. 20 when Mr. Biden was inaugurated. American astronaut and United States senator. In March 2010, Nelson voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[12] also known as Obamacare, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010,[97] which passed and were signed into law by President Obama. "Drilling in this area," they wrote, "threatens Florida's multibillion-dollar tourism-driven economy and is incompatible with the military training and weapons testing that occurs there. Tom Williams/Getty Listen to article President Joe Biden is nominating his old friend Bill Nelson to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), finally settling months of. [119], In April 2017, Nelson called for tougher economic sanctions against Venezuela, which he called an "economic basket case. Here's what we know", "Orlando shooting victims remembered in vigils across city, nation and world", "Nelson, Rubio recount Pulse nightclub attack, outpouring of unity in Orlando", "Senate Dems push to add money for FBI counter-terror efforts", "One Year Later, Central Florida Remembers Pulse Nightclub Tragedy", "Could this be the gun bill that has a chance? At 77, he was also the oldest person to fly in space. [15] His father was a real estate investor and a lawyer. He attended the University of Florida before transferring to Yale University, where, indicative of his lifelong interest in NASA, he wrote a thesis titled, The Impact of Cape Kennedy on Brevard County Politics. The closely contested election ultimately went to a recount, with Nelson losing by a narrow margin. Former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, center, after his ceremonial swearing in as NASA administrator. [156][155] Warner and Burr neither confirmed nor denied Nelson's claim that Florida's systems had been penetrated, while Rubio "has taken a line on the controversy similar to Burr and Warner's. Politico wrote that the Democratic Party "is shifting left and so is he. Rick Scott defeated him in 2018. In the U.S. Senate, Nelson was generally considered a centrist and a moderate Democrat. Nelson later renewed his focus on scientific integrity under the Trump administration. [74], In May 2013, Nelson asked the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to investigate why consumers who carried out a real-estate short sale were having their credit scores lowered to the same degree as those who went through foreclosure. [60] During Nelson's 2018 re-election campaign, challenger Rick Scott characterized Nelson as a "socialist"; PolitiFact described the assertion as "pants-on-fire" false. He is a singer who first gained attention as a member of the rock band Journey. Critics regarded it as an outer space junket at taxpayer expense. Chiles went on to win the general election.[33][34]. "[86], In September 2014, Nelson said the U.S. should hit back at ISIS immediately because "the U.S. is the only one that can put together a coalition to stop this group that's intent on barbaric cruelty. Bill Nelson, bottom, with other astronauts training in zero G for a space shuttle mission in 1985.