Senate confirms former astronaut, senator Bill Nelson as NASA chief

(Image credit: Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)

The Senate confirmed former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) as NASA's 14th administrator Thursday night. "I am honored by the president's nomination and the Senate vote," Nelson said. "I will try to merit that trust. Onward and upward!" Before serving in the Senate from 2001 to 2018, Nelson was a congressman, Army Reserve captain, and astronaut.

Nelson, 78, flew into space on the space shuttle Columbia on Jan. 12, 1986, and 10 days after his mission returned, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart just over a minute after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board. Nelson's commander on the Challenger, Charles Bolden Jr., served as NASA administrator under former President Barack Obama, and Nelson succeeds former Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), NASA administrator for most of the Trump administration.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.