AIAA Statement on Senate Confirmation of the Honorable Bill Nelson as NASA Administrator

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the Honorable Bill Nelson on being confirmed as the 14th NASA Administrator. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement upon Nelson’s confirmation:

“On behalf of the Institute’s nearly 30,000 professional members, I would like to congratulate former Senator Bill Nelson on his confirmation as NASA’s 14thadministrator. The agency is a source of meaningful inspiration for our country and for the world. We see significant opportunities for NASA to continue its important mission pushing the boundaries of space, aeronautics, and research and development on many fronts. Under Administrator Nelson’s leadership, we anticipate NASA will benefit from his extensive background and many bipartisan relationships as a former lawmaker.

Administrator Nelson has been a champion of our nation’s space and aeronautics programs during his many years serving in the U.S. Congress. He brings a unique perspective to the role, having spent six days in space on the Space Shuttle during mission STS-61-C, one of only two members of Congress with this distinction. He is a qualified and capable leader. As an elected official from the state of Florida, he understands the economic impact of the aerospace industry on our communities and the country, as well as the educational impact on our workforce. His knowledge and appreciation of the agency, combined with his legislative experience while working directly with elected officials at the state and federal level, will serve NASA well.

AIAA looks forward to supporting Administrator Nelson in his new role as we strive to maintain our nation’s leadership in space exploration and scientific discovery, while also helping make critical advances in technology development and aeronautics research.”

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AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, RebeccaG@AIAA.org, 804-397-5270.

About AIAA 
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.