One of the biggest impediments to reform was @senbillnelson , the former #US senator from #Florida who represented #KennedySpaceCenter and now runs #NASA https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/21/get-your-boy-elon-in-line-nasa-tell-all-recounts-turmoil-over-private-space-race-00041085
(The same guy who now wonders whether #China 🇨🇳 might be faster on the #Moon 🤦♂️)
@senbillnelson 's outsized influence on #NASA over four decades is undisputed, but some of us in the #SpaceCommunity are concerned this may not be a feature 👎. Senator #Nelson’s imprint on the #SpaceProgram has led to grand pronouncements based on #unrealistic industry estimates, multibillion-dollar 💰 #cost overruns, years of schedule #delays and unmet expectations 😠 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bill-nelson-isnt-the-best-choice-for-nasa-administrator/
Bill Nelson claimed in his opening statement to have always supported commercial space. Nelson was not always as enthusiastic about commercial #spaceflight. In 2010 the then-senator proposed zeroing 0️⃣ out the commercial crew program https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/550148-bill-nelson-is-a-born-again-supporter-of-commercial-space-at-nasa/
Mr. #Isaacman would replace the current administrator, #BillNelson https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/science/jared-isaacman-trump-nasa.html
It is not easy to turn a big #bureaucracy, and there will undoubtedly be friction and pain points. But the opportunity here is enticing: #NASA should not be competing with things that private industry is already doing better, such as launching big rockets. Rather, it should find difficult research and development projects at the edge of the possible. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/how-did-the-ceo-of-an-online-payments-firm-become-the-nominee-to-lead-nasa
Spaceflight 🚀
