Pictured: Jim Bridenstine
On April 19, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jim Bridenstine as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in a 50-49 vote.
Bridenstine, a congressman from Oklahoma currently in his third term, is the first elected official to serve as NASA administrator in the agency’s 59-year history.
Before the House of Representatives, Bridenstine served as a pilot in the United States Navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander, and served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium.
Bridenstine’s confirmation ends the longest span of time that NASA has operated without a permanent leader.
