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Jim Bridenstine, via his Facebook page as a NASA administrator (@AdminJimBridenstine).
This was stated by current NASA chief Jim Bridenstine Aviation Week this week (November 8, 2020) he would broadcast as the head of the US space agency, under the new administration of Joe Biden. As reported by Irene Klotz of Aviation Week, Bridenstine said he would not stay, even if asked to stay by President-elect Biden. He made these comments on November 8 – the day Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 US presidential election – as he was at the Kennedy Space Center to greet the SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts arriving for a launch scheduled for November 14 on the International Space Station (ISS). Bridenstine told Klotz:
The right question here is “What is NASA’s best interest as an agency and what is the best interest of the American exploration program?” For this, what you need is someone who has a close relationship with the president of the United States. You need someone who trusts 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.
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Bridenstine – formerly an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for Oklahoma’s first congressional district from January 2013 to April 2018 – was appointed by President Trump as NASA’s chief administrator in September 2017. According to one story in Science that month:
… some critics are wary of appointing a politician to lead an agency known for science and technology.
Bridenstine had served on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology during her time in Congress and had written about the commercial potential of exploiting the moon’s resources. As the head of NASA, he was expected to be a strong proponent of space commercialization. However, prior to his confirmation as NASA chief, he faced stiff opposition from Democrats, in particular, for anti-climate comments – comments in direct opposition to scientists’ findings on the topic of global warming – made in 2013, during his first term. in the House. Bridenstine had said:
Mr. President, global temperatures stopped rising 10 years ago. Changes in global temperature, when they exist, correlate with the emission of the sun and ocean cycles.
Bridenstine was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 19, 2018, with a party vote of 50-49.
Where to watch the historic SpaceX Crew-1 launch on Saturday, November 14th
Jim Bridenstine (center) was sworn in as NASA chief in April 2018 by United States Vice President Mike Pence (left) as his family watches. Image via NASA / PhysicsWorld.
Now, as reported by Aviation Week, expects to step down on January 20, 2021, but believes the US space program is in “a good position:”
If you look at the bipartisan, apolitical support we have from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle … there is strong support for Artemis [the agency’s post-ISS exploration initiative to expand human presence to the the moon and eventually to Mars].
There is a political agreement that America needs to do great things in space exploration, that we need to lead the world. There have been lessons learned from the past and I think Congress is in a good position to make sure we have sustainable plans for the future.
The thing that I think is most important is to have continuity of purpose, and I think at this moment we have as much as possible.
NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine speaking in December 2019 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. It stands in front of the just-completed SLS core stage for the Artemis 1 mission, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions targeting the Moon and Mars, due to launch in November 2021. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Bottom line: NASA Chief Administrator Jim Bridenstine plans to step down in January 2021, under the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, even though he is asked to stay.
Read More From Aviation Week: NASA chief plans to step aside under Biden
Read More From The Verge: NASA Administrator Says He Plans To Leave Position Under Biden’s Administration
Read More from Science in 2017: Trump Chose a Politician to Lead NASA. Is this a good thing?
Read More from PhysicsWorld in 2018: New NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine Receives Praise and Disapproval
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