NASA Chief Executive Bill Nelson. Dossier
The US Senate on April 29 unanimously approved Bill Nelson's candidacy for the post of head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, according to the NASA website. “For me, my nomination and the decision of the Senate is a great honor. I will try to earn this trust. Onward and upward! ”Nelson said.
Bill Nelson.
Nelson's candidacy was proposed in March by President Joe Biden. Until January 2021, this position was held by Jim Bridenstine.
Biography
Bill Nelson was born on May 29, 1942 in Miami, Florida. He was the only child of Nanny Merle and Clarence William Nelson. Bill spent his childhood in Melbourne, where he graduated from high school. In 1960, Nelson entered the University of Florida, but then transferred to Yale University. He graduated in 1965 with a BA in Political Science. In addition, he subsequently also received his law degree from the University of Virginia.
After graduation, in 1965, Bill Nelson joined the US Army Reserve. From 1968 to 1970 he spent in active military service, and then until 1971 he again remained in reserve. During the service, Nelson was awarded the rank of captain.
Political career
In 1968, Bill Nelson was admitted to the Florida Bar, and a few years later he began practicing in Melbourne. In 1971, he was named Assistant Governor Reybin Askew for Legislation, and a year later he was elected to the House of Representatives from Florida. Subsequently, he was re-elected three times: in 1974, in 1976 and in 1978.
In 1979-1991 he was a member of the House of Representatives of the Congress. In 1992 he took part in the Florida gubernatorial election, but lost. In November 2000, won the Senate elections for Florida. From 2001 to 2018, he was a senator from Florida and was a member of the Senate Committee on Trade, Science and Transportation, which deals with NASA's budget. He held the post of senator until 2018, losing it to Rick Scott in the elections. Since 2019, he has served on NASA's advisory board to provide advice on the agency's major programs and policies.
Space flight
In 1986, Nelson made a space flight as part of the STS-61C mission as part of the Space Shuttle program. He became the first member of the House of Representatives to travel to space. Nelson flew as a payload specialist with the crew of the space shuttle Columbia.
One of the tasks of the expedition was to launch the American satellite Satcom-K1 into orbit. The crew also had to conduct a series of astrophysics experiments. In particular, as part of one of the experiments called the “Program of active observation of Halley's comet”, it was necessary to photograph this comet with a 35 mm camera through the upper window in the aft part of the flight deck. But the experiment could not be carried out due to no problems with the camera's battery. Nelson spent a total of 6 days in orbit.
Personal life
In 1972, Nelson married Grace Covert. They have two children: Bill Nelson Jr. and Nan Ellen Nelson.
