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Administrator of NASA

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Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Seal
Constituent part of the administrator's standard
Bill Nelson
Incumbent
Bill Nelson
since May 3, 2021
Reports toPresident
SeatWashington, D.C.
NominatorPresident with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthAt the pleasure of the President
Constituting instrument51 U.S.C. § 20111
Inaugural holderThomas Keith Glennan
Salary$221,900 annually
(Executive Schedule II)
WebsiteBill Nelson, NASA

The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official of NASA, the national space agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible for providing clarity to the agency's vision and serving as a source of internal leadership within NASA. The office holder also has an important place within United States space policy,[1] and is assisted by a deputy administrator.

The administrator is appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, and thereafter serves at the president's pleasure. Former senator and astronaut Bill Nelson has served as the administrator since May 3, 2021. Entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman has been the nominee for NASA administrator since December 4, 2024.

Duties and responsibilities

The administrator serves as NASA's chief executive officer, accountable to the President for the leadership necessary to achieve the agency's mission. This leadership requires articulating the agency's vision, setting its programmatic and budget priorities and internal policies, and assessing Agency performance.[2]

History

The first administrator of NASA was Dr. T. Keith Glennan; during his term he brought together the disparate projects in space development research in the US.[3] Daniel Goldin held the post for the longest term (nearly 10 years), and is best known for pioneering the "faster, better, cheaper" approach to space programs.[4] The only person to hold the post twice is James C. Fletcher, who returned to NASA following the Challenger disaster.[5]

The current administrator is former senator and astronaut Bill Nelson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden on March 19, 2021,[6] confirmed by the Senate on April 29, and officially sworn in on May 3.[7] The current nominee for administrator is entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump on December 4, 2024.[8]

List of administrators

Status
  Denotes an acting administrator of NASA
  Denotes a presumptive nominee
No. Portrait Name Took office Left office Days served President
serving under
1 T. Keith Glennan T. Keith Glennan August 19, 1958 January 20, 1961 885 Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Hugh Dryden Hugh Dryden January 11, 1961 February 14, 1961 24 John F. Kennedy
2 James E. Webb James E. Webb February 14, 1961 October 7, 1968 1,035
1,781
(2,816 total) 		Lyndon B. Johnson
3 Thomas O. Paine Thomas O. Paine October 8, 1968 March 21, 1969 104
60 Richard Nixon
March 21, 1969 September 15, 1970 543
(707 total)
- George Low George Low September 16, 1970 April 26, 1971 222
4 James C. Fletcher James C. Fletcher April 27, 1971 May 1, 1977 1,200
895 Gerald Ford
101
(3258 total) 		Jimmy Carter
- Alan M. Lovelace Alan M. Lovelace May 2, 1977 June 20, 1977 49
5 Robert A. Frosch Robert A. Frosch June 21, 1977 January 20, 1981 1,309
- Alan M. Lovelace Alan M. Lovelace January 21, 1981 July 10, 1981 171
(220 total) 		Ronald Reagan
6 James M. Beggs James M. Beggs July 10, 1981 December 4, 1985 1,608
- William Graham William Graham December 4, 1985 May 11, 1986 158
7 James C. Fletcher James C. Fletcher May 12, 1986 April 8, 1989 984
78
(3258 total) 		George H. W. Bush
- Dale D. Myers Dale D. Myers April 8, 1989 May 13, 1989 35
8 Richard H. Truly Richard H. Truly May 14, 1989 June 30, 1989 47
July 1, 1989 March 31, 1992 1,004
(1,052 total)
9 Daniel Goldin Daniel Goldin April 1, 1992 November 17, 2001 294
2,922 Bill Clinton
301
(3,517 total) 		George W. Bush
- Daniel Mulville Daniel Mulville November 19, 2001 December 21, 2001 32
10 Sean O'Keefe Sean O'Keefe December 21, 2001 February 11, 2005 1,148
- Frederick D. Gregory Frederick D. Gregory February 11, 2005 April 14, 2005 62
11 Michael D. Griffin Michael D. Griffin April 14, 2005 January 20, 2009 1,377
- Christopher Scolese Christopher Scolese January 20, 2009 July 17, 2009 178 Barack Obama
12 Charles Bolden Charles Bolden July 17, 2009 January 20, 2017 2,744
- Robert Lightfoot Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. January 20, 2017 April 23, 2018 458 Donald Trump
13 Jim Bridenstine Jim Bridenstine April 23, 2018 January 20, 2021 1,003
- Steve Jurczyk Steve Jurczyk January 20, 2021 May 3, 2021 103 Joe Biden
14 Bill Nelson Bill Nelson May 3, 2021 Incumbent 1,314
- Bill Nelson Jared Isaacman - Nominee[8] - Donald Trump

Line of succession

The line of succession for the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is as follows:[9]

  1. Deputy administrator of NASA
  2. Associate administrator of NASA
  3. Chief of staff of NASA
  4. Director of Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas)
  5. Director of Kennedy Space Center (Merritt Island, Florida)
  6. Director of Marshall Space Flight Center (Redstone Arsenal, Alabama)

In the event of there being no deputy administrator of NASA, the associate administrator will serve as acting administrator.

See also

References

  1. ^ "NASA Strategic Management Handbook". Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Chapter 2-Roles and Responsibilities". Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "T. Keith Glennan biography". NASA. August 4, 2006. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  4. ^ "Daniel S. Goldin biography". NASA. March 12, 2004. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  5. ^ "James C. Fletcher biography". NASA. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  6. ^ "President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Bill Nelson for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration". The White House. March 19, 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "List of Administrators and Deputy Administrators of NASA". NASA. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Trump Picks Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator". Bloomberg.com. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Designation of Officers of the National Aeronautics And Space Administration To Act as Administrator". Federal Register. January 22, 2009. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.

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