Rep. Jim Bridenstine, an Oklahoma Republican, was confirmed Thursday as NASA's 13th administrator after months of partisan wrangling over his lack of experience in the space arena and prior statements questioning human contributions to climate change.

In an extremely close party-line vote, Bridenstine was confirmed 50-49, seven-and-a-half months after President Trump picked him to lead the civilian space agency. It was the most contentious nomination process in recent NASA history with most previous administrators confirmed unanimously or with little opposition.

"It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA administrator," Bridenstine said in a statement. "I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence.

"I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President's vision for American leadership in space."

Bridenstine will take over from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, who has been leading the civilian space agency since its previous administrator, former shuttle commander Charles Bolden, retired in the wake of the 2016 elections. Lightfoot's retirement is effective at the end of the month.

Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, tweeted his congratulations:

Congrats Rep Bridenstine on being confirmed as the next @NASA Administrator! Under @POTUS, America will lead in space once again. We look forward to working with Jim Bridenstine to restore America’s proud legacy of leadership in space- essential to our nat'l security & prosperity — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 19, 2018

As might be expected, Bridenstine supports President Trump's space policy, which calls for ending full government support of the International Space Station in 2025 and encouraging development of more commercial activity in low-Earth orbit, freeing NASA up to pursue a return to the moon and eventual piloted missions to Mars.

"I've been talking to Jim, and I know he's eager to begin leading this team," said Lightfoot. "He joins our great agency at a time when we are poised to accomplish historic milestones across the full spectrum of our work.

"I know first-hand how talented and dedicated our workforce is, and that all of you stand ready to work with our new administrator to accomplish our exciting goals, including returning Americans to the moon."

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A former Navy combat pilot, Bridenstine was elected to represent Oklahoma's first congressional district in 2012, serving on the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

He accumulated 1,900 hours flying time and 333 carrier landings flying E-2C Hawkeyes and, later, F-18 Hornets before leaving active duty to serve as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. He majored in economics psychology and business at Rice University and holds an MBA from Cornell University.

He is the first politician to be named NASA administrator and his lack of professional space experience and technical education prompted strong criticism from Democrats, including Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, who has long worked on space-related issues and who flew in orbit aboard the shuttle Columbia as a guest astronaut in January 1986.

"The NASA administrator should be a consummate space professional ... not a politician," Nelson said earlier this week. "More importantly, the administrator must be a leader who has the ability to bring us together to unite scientists and engineers and commercial space interests and policymakers and the public on a shared vision for future space exploration."

Nelson described Bridenstine's congressional behavior as "divisive as any in Washington," and said the nominee was "not prepared to be the last in line to make that fateful decision on go or no-go for launch."

During Bridenstine's confirmation hearing, critics also challenged past comments about climate change. In a 2016 interview with Aerospace America, he questioned human contributions to climate change, saying "it has always changed."

"There were periods of time long before the internal combustion engine when the Earth was much warmer than it is today," he said. "Going back to the 1600s, we have had mini ice ages from then to now."

"That's why we need to continue studying it," he said when asked if humans might, in fact, be playing a role. "Again, I am not opposed to studying it. What you'll find though is that the space-based assets that are studying climate change are not in agreement with the terrestrial assets that are studying climate change."

Many experts disagree with that assertion and during his confirmation hearing, Bridenstine said he believes human activity contributes to the buildup of greenhouse gases but would not say how significant that contribution might be. He did, however, promised that "science would drive the mission at NASA," Politico reported.

"Should I be confirmed, it will be my intention to build off the work done by the great people at NASA during the last administration," he said. "We must all do this together."

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation applauded the confirmation, saying in a statement that "NASA needs dedicated and inspired leadership, and Representative Bridenstine is an outstanding choice to provide precisely that."

The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration agreed. President and CEO Mary Lynne Dittmar said the "coalition and its member companies stand ready to support Administrator Bridenstine as we take the next steps in the exploration of deep space, returning to the Moon and going on to Mars.</s>With the U.S. Senate’s confirmation, Bridenstine becomes the 13th NASA Administrator, something that almost didn’t happen due to Bridenstine’s views on Climate Change and LGBT relationships.

The last NASA Administrator, former shuttle astronaut Charles Bolden, resigned his post upon the election of Donald Trump. Since that time, the U.S. space agency has been led by Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot. Lightfoot, who has served as NASA’s interim leader since Jan. 2017, announced his retirement from the agency last month ( March, 2018 ). Lightfoot’s retirement date is set for April 30 – making Bridenstine’s confirmation timely.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Jim Bridenstine to NASA,” Lightfoot stated via a release issued by NASA. “He joins our great agency at a time when we are poised to accomplish historic milestones across the full spectrum of our work. Jim now takes the reins of this agency and its talented and dedicated workforce. I’m looking forward to him building on our great momentum and sharing our many strengths to help us make the next giants leaps on behalf of humanity. I also want express my heartfelt appreciation to the NASA team for all they accomplished during my time leading the agency.”

Officials within the space community also expressed optimism at what the agency might be capable of with an administrator at the helm.

“The Senate vote today marks the beginning of Jim’s tenure at our nation’s space agency as America prepares to return to the Moon and push further into deep space,” said Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, President and CEO of the Coalition via a release issued by the organization. “The Coalition looks forward to working closely with Administrator Bridenstine and his team to support NASA’s human exploration and space science programs.”

Bridenstine, who served Oklahoma as a congressman, was approved by a 50-49 vote. Many former NASA Administrators were confirmed by unanimous votes. Opposition to Bridenstine’s appointment was led by Florida Senator and former shuttle astronaut Bill Nelson.

Bridenstine’s selection comes at a time when the agency is working to fulfill its obligations to its international partners, but to also develop the super heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket, its crew-rated deep space exploration spacecraft; Orion and to empower commercial firms to handle most low-Earth orbit operations.

“It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator,” Bridenstine stated via a release issued by the space agency. “I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President’s vision for American leadership in space.”</s>.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke today on the Senate floor and voted for U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to be the next NASA Administrator. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below.

“Having a permanent administrator in place is important not just so the agency itself can function, but that so NASA can have an impact on our entire country. Having appropriate leadership means NASA could continue to benefit Texans who work there with jobs and opportunities to research, collaborate, and innovate across disciplines.”

“If we want to keep pushing toward that final frontier, our first step is to ensure that we have a strong administrator at helm, and that’s why I intend to vote to support the nomination this afternoon.”

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.</s>WASHINGTON, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following are statements from Rep. Jim Bridenstine and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on Thursday's U.S. Senate confirmation of Bridenstine as the 13th Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration:

"It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator," said Bridenstine. "I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President's vision for American leadership in space."

"I'm very pleased to welcome Jim Bridenstine to NASA," said Lightfoot. "He joins our great agency at a time when we are poised to accomplish historic milestones across the full spectrum of our work. Jim now takes the reins of this agency and its talented and dedicated workforce. I'm looking forward to him building on our great momentum and sharing our many strengths to help us make the next giants leaps on behalf of humanity. I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the NASA team for all they accomplished during my time leading the agency."

For information about NASA's missions, programs and activities, visit:</s>After operating for almost fourteen months with acting leadership, NASA finally has a new Administrator, as the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) as the new head of the space agency, overcoming reluctance among some Republicans, and strong opposition from Democrats who said Bridenstine who too political for the job. The vote was 50-49.

“It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator,” Bridenstine said in a statement. “I am humbled by this opportunity.”

“Jim Bridenstine has been very passionate for trying to get NASA back on focus with a big vision and a big mission,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK).

“I’ve known Congressman Bridenstine for a long time, and I know he is just the man for this important undertaking,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).

But among Republicans, there were clearly reservations, even as the vote took place.

“I was not enthused by the nomination,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on the Senate floor, as he acknowledged that continuing with temporary leadership at the space agency was not a good answer.

“There’s no way NASA can go two years and x-number of months without a permanent Administration,” Rubio added, his tone and body language sending the message that he would still have someone other than Bridenstine leading the space agency.

For Democrats, Bridenstine’s more conservative political views – especially on climate change – overrode his military experience as a pilot in the Air Force.

“Just because you know how to fly a plane does not mean you have the skills and experience to lead the federal government’s space agency,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).

“In short, NASA needs an Administrator who will be driven by science and not by politics,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).

But as with most issues in the Congress right now, Democrats are don’t have enough votes to derail a nominee of President Trump – unless some Republicans break ranks to join them.

Bridenstine will take over NASA at a time when the space agency has just received a sizable budget boost from a recent spending deal in Congress, and as President Trump is pressing NASA to put together plans for a mission to Mars.

“I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President's vision for American leadership in space,” said Bridenstine.</s>WASHINGTON: The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump-nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine to lead the US space agency.

The Senate narrowly on Thursday voted 50-49 on partisan lines to confirm Bridenstine to serve as NASA's 13th administrator.

Bridenstine, a pilot in the US Navy Reserve and former executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, was elected to the US Congress in 2012 to represent Oklahoma's First Congressional District.

He currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

"I am pleased to have Rep. Bridenstine nominated to lead our team. I look forward to ensuring a smooth transition and sharing the great work the NASA team is doing," acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said in a statement.

"It is an honour to be confirmed by the US Senate to serve as NASA Administrator," said Bridenstine.

Bridenstine will take over from Lightfoot, who has been leading the space agency since its previous administrator Charles Bolden, retired in the wake of the 2016 elections.

"I am humbled by this opportunity,... I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President's vision for American leadership in space," Bridenstine added.

"Congrats Rep Bridenstine on being confirmed as the next @NASA Administrator! Under @POTUS, America will lead in space once again," tweeted Vice President Mike Pence.</s>WASHINGTON — NASA finally has a new administrator, albeit a controversial one.
• Bridenstine choice criticized for lack of experience

Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-OK, is President Trump's pick to lead the space agency.

The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Bridenstine, along party lines, 50-49. He is the first congressman to serve as NASA administrator.

Bridenstine's nomination is controversial because of his limited knowledge of space policy. A congressman from Oklahoma who has served on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, he lacks formal qualifications in the space or science fields, according to critics, which include US Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida.

Nelson spoke out against Bridenstine's nomination on the Senate floor Wednesday.

"Traditionally the NASA administrator has been well-qualified, is not controversial," Nelson said. "NASA is one of the few remaining areas that has largely avoided the bitter partisanship that has invaded far too many areas of government and our society today. Until now."

"The NASA administrator should be a consummate space professional," Nelson added. "That's what this senator wants -- a space professional, not a politician, as the head of NASA. And that space professional ought to be technically and scientifically competent, and a skilled executive."

Nelson says senators from both sides of the aisle had expressed doubts about Bridenstine's qualifications both publicly and privately to him. Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio, expressed his own doubts to the media last year. But in the end, all Republican senators present voted to end cloture.</s>The wait is finally over. Jim Bridenstine has been approved by the Senate to become NASA's 13th Administrator, ending the longest period the agency has been without a permanent director in the agency's history.

Bridenstine, formerly a Republican Representative from Oklahoma, has focused on space for much of his career. The former Navy Reserve pilot was once executive director of the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and during his time in Congress introduced the American Space Renaissance Act (ASRA), which, among other things, would give NASA Administrators a five-year fixed term (currently, the Administrator serves as long as the sitting President wants).

While Bridenstine, 42, is deeply versed in the utilities of space for both military and commercial uses, his lack of a scientific background and history as a politician are a break in tradition for NASA Administrators.

Floridian Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, strenuously opposed Bridenstine's lack of expertise. Citing some of the most tragic moments in NASA history, including the 1986 Challenger explosion and 2003 Space Shuttle Colombia disaster, Nelson said that to make decisions about missions, "the Administrator must draw on all of his or her knowledge of engineering principals and of space flight, and all of his experience of managing large technological organizations, and every bit of judgment, reason and impartiality he or she can muster, because leading NASA is for an experienced and proven space professional."

Bridenstine has also faced severe critiques for his stance on climate change, which falls under the purview of NASA's Earth Sciences division. During Senate hearings, Bridenstine called NASA "the only agency in the world that can do" the type of science needed to better understanding global warming. But he refused to admit the scientific consensus that humanity is the primary cause of global warming. Encouraging further study of global warming while denying the current consensus is part of a pattern for Bridenstine, having expressed similar views in an interview with Aerospace America.

The ARSA, which deemed human travel to Mars one of NASA's top priorities, might offer some clues into Bridenstine's leadership. Although his approval was a divisive one at 50-49, he has understanding that NASA has a special role in American society.

Speaking at a Washington Space Business Roundtable luncheon on March 21, 2017, he said that "NASA, of course, is...more popular than any agency. It's non-partisan, it's an agency that reflects what is really phenomenal about the United States of America."

Taking charge of the agency at a time of great division, Bridenstine now has the chance to make sure that the country's deep pride in NASA's accomplishments continues.</s>"It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator," said Bridenstine, now the 13th administrator of the US space agency, in a statement. "I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President's vision for American leadership in space."

Acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot praised the confirmation in the statement, as well. "I'm very pleased to welcome Jim Bridenstine to NASA," he said. "He joins our great agency at a time when we are poised to accomplish historic milestones across the full spectrum of our work. Jim now takes the reins of this agency and its talented and dedicated workforce. I'm looking forward to him building on our great momentum and sharing our many strengths to help us make the next giants leaps on behalf of humanity. I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the NASA team for all they accomplished during my time leading the agency."</s>April 19 (UPI) -- The Senate voted along party lines to confirm President Donald Trump's selection to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Senators voted 50-49 to approve Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R- Okla., as NASA's new administrator following a six-month confirmation process.

Bridenstine, a former Navy pilot who previously led the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium and has represented Tulsa since 2013, initially faced opposition from some senators who believe he doesn't possess the necessary scientific experience to head the agency.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., initially opposed the idea of hiring a politician to lead NASA instead of a scientist, but ultimately voted in favor of his confirmation.

"I was not enthused about the nomination," Rubio said. "Nothing personal about Mr. Bridenstine. NASA is an organization that needs to be led by a space professional."

Democrats also expressed concerns about his lack of experience as well as past statements opposing LGBT rights and doubting the impact human contributions have on climate change.

"James Bridenstine is a climate denier with no scientific background who has made a career out of ignoring science," Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said. "Now, I also don't have a scientific background. But I defer to scientists. I rely on the scientific consensus. And the scientific consensus is not what Mr. Bridenstine says."

Sen. Jeff Flake, R- Ariz., held up a procedural vote Wednesday to advance Bridenstine's confirmation by siding with Democrats in voting to block his confirmation before ultimately switching his vote to yes.
The U.S. Senate votes 50–49 to confirm Jim Bridenstine as administrator of NASA.