To NASA’s Chief Jim Bridenstine resigned yesterday (January 20) appointed President Joe Biden’s administration Steve Jurczyk to serve as acting administrator until the role is permanently fulfilled.
According to her, Jurczyk has been the co-administrator of the agency since May 2018. NASA Biography; all told, he has worked at NASA since 1988. Jurczyk is one of the 34 acting leaders announced by Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris, hours after their inauguration.
In a message to agency staff acquired by SpaceRef, Jurczyk Bridenstine resigned and highlighted the events in the coming months, referring to plans to bring people back to the moon, but without the Artemis program, a product of President Donald Trump’s administration, explicitly.
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“Nor can we be proud of how every civil servant and contractor acted to move the NASA mission forward while on the lookout for the health, safety and well-being of the entire team,” said Bhavya Lal, nominated by Jurczyk and the White House, written in the joint message. “NASA represents the best of America and the best of American values: hard work, determination and ingenuity. And this agency has proven time and again that anything is possible when we come together, break down barriers, create opportunities and imagine a new tomorrow. ‘
Biden has not yet announced a nominee to lead the agency permanently. Trump nominated Bridenstine to lead the agency in September 2017, but the confirmation process was controversial and the Senate only approved the nomination in April 2018, leaving NASA in the hands of acting administrator Robert Lightfoot for 15 months. Bridenstine was the 13th NASA administrator and the first to lead the agency after serving in an elected office; he represented Oklahoma’s 1st Congress District in the House of Representatives.
The leadership change is coming hot on the heels of a critical but imperfect test of NASA’s massive lunar rocket, the Space Launch System. During the fire test, the engines of the core stage fired only 67 seconds, rather than the targeted 8 minutes. NASA leadership will now have to decide whether to repeat the test or push for an unmanned launch planned for the end of this year.
In addition, the agency will attempt a difficult performance in less than a month when its Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, land on the Red Planet on 18 February. And the agency, like the rest of the federal government, is facing a twin crisis of public and economic health caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These civil servants, like so many in the federal government, are committed to serving the American people, not a political party or agenda,” Biden said. said in a statement announcing the acting clues of dozens of government agencies. “Their experience in government and service delivery will allow this government to take the reins as we prepare to get the pandemic back under control and that our economy is up and running again. I am grateful for their willingness to help during these difficult times. to act and help us ensure that the government continues to operate and serve the American people. ‘
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.