NASA's 14th administrator: Who is Bill Nelson?

In an interview published on January 1, 2023, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that China's military expansion in the South China Sea is an indication of what could happen on the Moon.

"It's a fact: we're in a space race," Nelson said. And we'd better make sure they don't go anywhere on the Moon under the guise of scientific research. They are likely to say, 'Stay away, we are here, this is our territory'. "If you're in doubt, look at what they've done to the Spratly Islands."

Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Florida from 2001 to 2019.

NASA completed its Artemis 1 mission in November, which involves flying the unmanned spacecraft Orion around the Moon. The mission preceded Artemis 3, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2025.

China also recently completed its new space station, Tiangong, and sent a crew to the station in November. Beijing plans to launch three missions to the Moon over the next decade after it said it had discovered a new lunar mineral that could be used as an energy source.

NASA is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX company for the Artemis 3 mission.

NASA aims to stay on the Moon by 2025.

WHO IS BILL NELSON?

Clarence William Nelson was born on September 29, 1942. He is NASA's senate-approved administrator since April 2021 and is also an American lawyer and politician. Nelson served as a U.S. Senator in Florida from 2001 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Nelson previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1972 to 1978 and the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. Before entering politics, he served in the US Army Reserve during the Vietnam War.

Nelson retired from Congress in 1990 to run for Governor of Florida but was unsuccessful. He was then appointed Chief Financial Officer, Insurance Commissioner, and Fire Marshal in Florida from 1995 to 2001. In 2000, he was elected with 51 percent of the vote to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retired Republican Senator Connie Mack. He was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote in 2006 and 55 percent in 2012. Nelson ran for a fourth term in 2018 but was narrowly defeated by then-Governor Rick Scott in the general election. In May 2019, Nelson was appointed to serve on NASA's advisory council.

He was generally considered a centrist and moderate Democrat in the US Senate. He lowered taxes on low- and middle-income families, expanded environmental programs and regulations, preserved the Affordable Care Act, and expanded Medicaid. Nelson chaired the Senate Committee on Aging from 2013 to 2015 and served as the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee from 2015 to 2019.

On March 19, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Nelson to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Nelson was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on April 29, 2021.